Health

House passes series of bills to reform child welfare systems

The House passed a series of bills June 20 that highlight important provisions that were part of the Family First Prevention Services Act, bipartisan legislation that was unanimously passed by the House during the 114th Congress but failed to garner final approval. The five bills, which are cost-neutral and bipartisan, include language identical or similar to portions of the Family First legislation, including provisions to reduce wait times for foster care placements, reauthorize grants to aid families affected by parental substance abuse, address inappropriate barriers to licensing relatives as foster parents, and improve services to older youth in foster care.

White Collar Crime

Healthcare Fraud Enforcement Trends Under the Trump Administration

Ryan O’Quinn, Ardith Bronson, and Michael Greenfield, DLA Piper LLP (US), Miami, FL

With each administration change, practitioners wait with trepidation to see how the new administration will address healthcare fraud enforcement. It often takes up to a year or more of tracking before the new administration’s focus becomes clear.

Health

Growth of Telehealth Industry Puts Medicare Telehealth Reimbursements on Government Radar

Hal Katz, Husch Blackwell LLP, Austin, TX and Loreli Wright, Husch Blackwell LLP, Denver, CO

The telehealth industry continues to grow rapidly, and regulators are beginning to take notice. With the global telehealth market projected to more than quadruple in value over the next five years, even slow-moving government payors have responded to the pressure to expand reimbursement options for telemedicine services.

Health

The New Work Requirement for Medicaid

Olivia Obasi, McDermott Will & Emery, Washington, DC

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on January 11, 2018 announced a new policy that would allow states to impose work as a requirement for Medicaid eligibility.