McDermott Will & Emery lawyer Emily J. Cook recently spoke to Bloomberg Law about a drug alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process that’s on hold after the Biden administration removed its Trump administration appointees. This particular process concerns Department of Health and Human Services panelists that will determine the direction of a 340B drug review board.
McDermott Will & Emery lawyers Jennifer S. Geetter and Allyn N. Rosenberger recommend that employers consider using a “closed point of dispensing” model to expedite COVID-19 vaccinations for their workforce by arranging for health care providers to inoculate employees using government-provided vaccines.
Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released three new FAQs for employers who recommend or require employees to receive COVID-19 vaccines. OSHA is responsible for enforcing workplace safety standards across the US.
McDermott previously reported that employers can require employees to be vaccinated as a condition of employment, though employers should consider several factors before making the decision to require employee vaccinations. The new OSHA guidance highlights additional considerations when requiring employee vaccinations.
Employers have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine and how to update their employment policies. In this video, McDermott partners, Chris Braham, Chris Foster and Michelle Strowhiro answer questions about vaccine requirements in the workforce, additional considerations and more.
The Internal Revenue Service recently announced cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits for health savings accounts, high-deductible health plans and excepted benefit health reimbursement arrangements for 2022. Some of the dollar limits currently in effect for 2021 will change for 2022.
COVID-19 served as a major pivot event for the adoption of virtual healthcare solutions. As stay-at-home orders swept the country and the pandemic forced physical isolation, telehealth tools were rapidly rolled out to safely provide necessary services. The reality on the ground forced overnight adoption of virtual care services that otherwise likely would have plodded along for decades.
The combination of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the imminent end of the Brexit transition period means a fast-changing regulatory environment for medicines.
In October 2020, the UK Government made changes to the regulation of medicines for COVID-19 and influenza. The regulations set out changes for the temporary authorisation of medicines (including COVID-19 vaccines) and allow the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to set conditions for that authorisation.
The federal government has taken major steps to boost insurers’ coverage of mental health and substance abuse treatment in recent years, and with the confirmation of former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that trend will likely continue.
The US Department of Labor’s decision last month to table Trump-era regulations limiting socially conscious investments by retirement plans signals that the Biden administration is considering an embrace of so-called ESG funds, which attempt to advance environmental, social and corporate governance goals.
Tabling these regulations brings “the Department of Labor into alignment with the desire of not just plan fiduciaries, but more notably, the actual plan participants to use their retirement assets in a socially conscious manner,” McDermott partner Erin Turley said in an article for Law360.
Political divisiveness on Capitol Hill, a focus on impeachment activity and financial relief for the COVID-19 pandemic—as well as delays in confirming President Joe Biden’s nominees for cabinet and subcabinet positions—so far have caused a slowdown in the new administration’s ability to make sweeping changes affecting healthcare.
In an article for Pharmacy Practice News, McDermott partner James Kim discusses key issues to watch from Congress and the White House in 2021.
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