On Monday, July 11, 2022, the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a letter to healthcare providers regarding the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), indicating that when a state law prohibits abortion and does not provide an exception that aligns with EMTALA’s emergency medical condition definition, that state law is … Continue Reading
According to statistics published in U.S. News & World Report, Florida has the fifth-highest rate of abortions performed per 1,000 women among all 50 states, and it trails only California and New York in the actual number of abortions performed annually. In an effort to reduce those numbers – and in anticipation of the U.S. … Continue Reading
On On June 29, in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) issued guidance on when entities covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are permitted to share protected health information (PHI) without a … Continue Reading
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has presented many issues for sponsors of group health plans to contemplate as they decide whether and how to proceed with the offering and administration of abortion services. While each group health plan sponsor will need to consider its own objectives, plan populations and … Continue Reading
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court held in a 5-1-3 opinion that Roe v. Wade – a nearly 50-year-old Supreme Court opinion providing the right to an abortion in this country – should be overturned. See Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (available at www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf). Irrespective of whether an employer agrees with the … Continue Reading
A closely divided Supreme Court, a reversal of long-standing precedent, headline-grabbing litigation and an increased assertion of religious liberty rights by employees have thrust employers into an unprecedented and extraordinarily difficult social and legal environment following the Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Many employees wonder what their employers will do in … Continue Reading