Free subscription to the Capitol Journal keeps you current on legislative and regulatory news.
Court Allows Purdue Pharma to Shield Sacklers in Opioid Bankruptcy The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that members of the Sackler family who own bankrupt Oxycontin manufacturer...
It’d be understandable if you’re confused about the legal status of the abortion pill these days. A lot has happened with the drug mifepristone in the last few months. In early April, U.S...
TX Legislature Passes Comprehensive Consumer Data Privacy Law Texas was poised last week to become the sixth state to enact a comprehensive consumer data privacy bill, after state lawmakers approved...
SCOTUS Refuses to Hold Tech Platforms Liable for Users’ Posts In a pair of decisions issued last week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hold social media platforms accountable for the posts of...
State Lawmakers Seeking to Broaden Access to Mental Healthcare With over 1 in 5 U.S. adults and youths (13-18 years old) experiencing mental illness and cost keeping many of them from being able to access...
With over 1 in 5 U.S. adults and youths (13-18 years old) experiencing mental illness and cost keeping many of them from being able to access mental healthcare, state lawmakers are trying various approaches to make that care more affordable. Last year Georgia (HB 1013) and Massachusetts (SB 3097) stepped up oversight of federal mental health parity requirements. Louisiana (HB 278), Massachusetts (SB 3097), New Jersey (AB 2008) and Wyoming (HB 140) enacted measures in 2022 or 2023 requiring health insurers to cover more behavioral health services. And Georgia (SB 566), Washington (HB 1688), California (AB 988) and Connecticut (HB 5001) enacted legislation last year applying surprise billing protections to mental health emergencies. (NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES)
With demand for weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy surging, insurers are refusing to cover the medications, which can retail for $900 or more per month. As a result, some pharmacies have started offering unauthorized generic versions of Ozempic. (KAISER HEALTH NEWS, WALL STREET JOURNAL, NEW YORK TIMES)
Walgreens agreed to pay San Francisco $230 million to settle the city’s claim against it for contributing to the city’s opioid epidemic. Last year a federal judge found the pharmacy chain liable for failing to do proper screenings. Between 2006 and 2014, there were 163,645,704 opioid pills distributed in San Francisco County, enough to provide each resident 22 pills per year. (FIERCE HEALTHCARE)
A proposed class action suit has been filed against Aetna, alleging the insurer’s inadequate security measures enabled a Russian ransomware group to obtain access to sensitive personal data in an attack earlier this year. That attack targeted multiple healthcare providers and more than 3 million of their customers. (LAW360®)
—Compiled by SNCJ Managing Editor KOREY CLARK
Please visit our webpage to connect with a State Net representative and learn how the State Net legislative and regulatory tracking solution can help you identify, track, analyze and report on relevant legislative and regulatory developments.