On January 15, 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered his 2019 State of the State Address. Part of his address centered on the legalization of recreational marijuana in New York State.

The Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act was introduced as part of the Governor’s Executive Budget, which is expected to be acted upon by April 1st. If it is approved,
Continue Reading New York Continues To Move Towards Legalization of Recreational Marijuana

When a health care business files for bankruptcy, the appointment of an ombudsman to monitor the quality of patient care and represent the interests of the patients is required unless the bankruptcy court finds that an ombudsman “is not necessary for the protection of patients under the specific facts of the case.” Bankruptcy Code §333(a)(1).[1]  Because many health care
Continue Reading When Should the Appointment of a Patient Care Ombudsman for a Health Care Business in Bankruptcy Be Excused?

As pundits continue to argue about the nature and extent of the “Blue Wave” that did or did not wash across the country this past Election Day, its impact in New York State was undeniable.  What happened in New York on Tuesday was notable for several reasons.  First, according to the New York State Board of Elections (BOE), the
Continue Reading What Happened on Election Day – and What It Means for Healthcare Policy in New York State

In United States ex rel. Wood v. Allergan, Inc., the Second Circuit addressed the issue of whether a violation of the False Claims Act’s “first-to-file” rule compels dismissal of an action or whether it can be cured by the filing of an amended or supplemental pleading. The Court’s acceptance of the interlocutory appeal was addressed here in a post
Continue Reading Second Circuit Answers First-To-File Question: Amended Complaint Cannot Save Later-Filed FCA Action

This past July 26, 2018 was the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), landmark civil rights legislation designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities. Specifically, the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation and telecommunications. It protects anyone with a “disability”, defined
Continue Reading “Able New York”: The Latest ADA-Related Initiative May Create New Requirements for Long Term Care Providers

Our series highlighting recent activity by the NYS Legislature (introduced here) continues with a recap of bills passed in 2018 that relate to intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This synopsis follows previous summaries we have done concerning the pharmaceutical industry (here), hospitals (here), long term care and aging (here), and behavioral health

Continue Reading Legislation Affecting Services for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

As we noted in previous blogs, the New York State Legislature has addressed a number of significant hospital related issues during the 2018 session, including indigent care funding (discussed here), the third iteration of the Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program (discussed here) and the funding of the Health Care Transformation Fund in connection with the acquisition
Continue Reading Legislation Affecting Hospitals

New York State healthcare policymakers have always had a lukewarm relationship with for-profit providers.  While in some sectors the for-profit provision of care is common (e.g., nursing homes and home care), in others, there are few to no for-profit providers (e.g., hospitals and primary care clinics).  In fact, some in the industry are under the impression that in some areas

Continue Reading Worker Cooperatives and Health Care

The Broadest Impact:  2018-19 NYS Managed Care Budget Highlights

This, the last of our posts on the 2018-19 New York State Health Budget (the “Enacted Budget”), focuses on an area of healthcare that has perhaps the broadest impact of the sector as a whole — managed care.  A prior post in the series (
Continue Reading The Broadest Impact:  2018-19 New York State Managed Care Budget Highlights

 

A Renewed Focus: 2018-19 NYS Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Budget Highlights

Since the beginning of the administration of Governor Andrew Cuomo, there has been a strong emphasis on reform of the acute, primary, and long term care systems, and, particularly with the recent focus on the opioid crisis, that attention has extended to the behavioral
Continue Reading A Renewed Focus: 2018-19 New York State Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Budget Highlights