Legislation and Public Policy

In an unfavorable Advisory Opinion issued last week[1], the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) found that a home care agency’s plan to market sign-on bonuses to prospective employees with the intention of employing those individuals to provide services to family members could result in sanctions for…

On December 19, Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed New York Senate Bill 8432 (S8432) and its Assembly companion, A8662A. The legislation would have amended the New York LLC Transparency Act (NYLTA) to preserve beneficial ownership reporting requirements for domestic New York LLCs.

The bill was intended to restore the Legislature’s original intent when the NYLTA was…

[Partially superseded; see post on January 5, 2026]

New York’s Limited Liability Company Transparency Act (NYLTA), set to take effect on January 1, 2026, will require beneficial ownership reporting by certain limited liability companies. However, it’s unclear which LLCs will need to report. The NYLTA incorporates the definitions of “beneficial owner” and “reporting company” from…

It was brought to the attention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) that healthcare providers may be violating HIPAA in certain instances where they deny parental access to a child’s medical records, or require the child to authorize the disclosure of their medical records to the parent…

The New York Attorney General’s Office imposition of a $250,000 penalty on MVP Health Care for maintaining an inaccurate mental health provider directory riddled with “ghost” providers was recently discussed here. The problem, however, extends beyond New York. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently issued a…

As of September 30, several temporary Medicare telehealth flexibilities that were put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic officially came to an end. One of the most significant changes involves the site requirement for telehealth services. Medicare beneficiaries can now only receive telehealth services other than behavioral or mental health services from specific originating sites…

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a favorable Advisory Opinion for a non-profit foundation receiving donations from an affiliated company. The company in this case offers family-based therapy for children with a redacted “Disorder” (presumably autism), where the goal of the therapy sessions is to train…

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has formally abandoned its effort to implement a nationwide prohibition on employer non-compete agreements, marking the end of one of the most closely watched regulatory battles in recent years. While the sweeping ban will not take effect, the agency has made clear that restrictive covenant practices remain firmly on its…

New York State’s Medicaid Home Care program pays for in-home personal care services. New York’s program has long been the best in the country.  One underlying policy behind the program was that people should have every opportunity to remain in the community.  A community focus provides two benefits: the social benefit derived from keeping people…

The U.S. Department of Justice recently issued a press release concerning a Statement of Interest that shields small businesses from being forced to provide medical coverage for gender dysphoria.

In Bernier v. Turbocam et al., the Plaintiff, who identifies as a woman and has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, claims denial of “medically necessary”…