Taelor Thornton Associate Editor Loyola University Chicago School of Law, JD 2024 The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) complaints and breaches increased from 2017 to 2021, yet the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) stated that they did not perform any audits due to financial resources in …
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The Biden administration has considered not only ending all future export licenses between US microchip producers and Huawei, but also revoking existing licenses to sell microchips to the Chinese tech company. This move is just one section of increasing tensions between China and the United States but could have long-reaching consequences for the United States and the global tech market.
Monday, March 6, 2023, marks two-and-one-quarter years since the notorious attack on the U.S. Capitol. Since then, the unprecedented insurrection’s aftermath has thrust Trump-aligned supporters and politicians into the political limelight. As the House of Representatives continues its comprehensive investigation, Cassidy Hutchinson, former White House aide and standout witness of the House’s Jan. 6th committee investigation, recently accused President Trump’s former White House attorney Stefan Passantino of unethical legal maneuvering. On Wednesday February 15, 2023, nearly three months after her allegations were brought, bipartisan U.S. legal advocacy group ‘The 65 Project’ filed an informal ethics complaint against Passantino.
Cryptocurrency’s lack of regulation has been a major focus in the news recently. Furthermore, there is a lack of regulation over non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as well, which is a further concern for consumer safety. Although the first known NFT was established in May of 2014, NFTs didn’t really take-off until 2017. Due to the unique nature of NFTs (being either jpegs, real estate, etc.) the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), along with other regulatory authorities, still haven’t clearly laid out if NFTs are securities or what rules/regulations will apply. Unless securities are clearly at issue it is unclear if NFTs will fall under securities laws at this point in time. However, there is a potential way consumers can invest in NFTs related to real estate and still find protection through the SEC.
Megan Aldworth Associate Editor Loyola University Chicago School of Law, JD 2023 The Truth in Lending Act (TILA), established 1968, is aimed to protect consumers against unfair credit practices and billing by lenders. Under TILA, lenders must provide consumers (borrowers) with information that allows them to compare loan terms given by various lending institutions. …
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As of March 3, 2023, Walgreens, the second-largest pharmacy store in the United States, has announced that it will not offer mifepristone, the abortion pill, in twenty-one states. This decision followed letters written by Republican attorneys generals in the twenty-one states urging Walgreens not to stock the product, and even threatening legal action against Walgreens if they did decide to move forward with stocking mifepristone in those twenty-one states. Rite Aid and other pharmacies have not yet made a decision on whether they will sell mifepristone.
On February 16, 2023, the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Department of Commerce (DoC) announced the launch of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force. Under the leadership of Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and Matthew Axelrod, the Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement in the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the strike force will bring together various agencies throughout the government, including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and 14 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, to “target illicit actors, strengthen supply chains and protect critical technological assets from being acquired or used by nation-state adversaries”.
On January 31, 2020, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services issued a public health emergency as a result of COVID-19. The emergency declaration requires public health professionals, first responders, and public officials to work together to minimize death while preventing illnesses. The declarations provided the government with the flexibility to waive or modify standard requirements as it relates to both public and private insurance, service providers, and authorizations including telehealth. Telehealth provided access to healthcare to those who face barriers as well as flexibility in being able to manage care while reducing the spread of COVID-19 along with other infectious diseases. There remained uncertainty regarding the freedom to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine with the Biden administration set to end the public health emergency on May 11, 2023. However, on February 24, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released a proposed rule that aims to permanently extend controlled substance prescribing flexibilities.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a simulation of human intelligence that is subsequently processed by machines. It has revolutionized the healthcare space by improving patient outcomes in a variety of ways. It has also begun to leave a positive impact in health systems and hospitals as healthcare worker burnout remains on the rise. However, there are significant legal challenges that accompany its groundbreaking nature. Hospitals and health systems have a duty to mitigate these legal challenges and understand that AI should be used as a supplement, not a replacement, to human intelligence.
In a recent statement for the Department of Justice (DOJ), Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr. shared that the DOJ plans on ramping up enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in Latin America this year. This statement comes after the majority of noncompliance actions under the FCPA in 2022 occurred in Latin America.