The Wall Street Journal | Supreme Court Hunt for Who Leaked Draft Roe v. Wade Opinion Has No Road Map

After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling overturning Roe, employer health plans and insurers are left with the task of determining which state laws are applicable and whether federal preemption (under ERISA or otherwise) changes the analysis. Our Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group breaks down the key issues under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code for covering medical travel benefits for legal abortion-related services.

The Department of Health and Human Services - Office for Civil Rights has issued a Proposed Privacy Rule in response to the confusion and concern caused by the new legal landscape in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling. Our Health Care Group breaks down the proposed changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule in OCR’s Proposed Rule, Fact Sheet, and new Guidance.

At long last, the conference committee for the America COMPETES Act, the China competition bill, will meet for the first time in a likely months-long process. Efforts in the Senate to legalize abortion nationwide are expected to fail. The House will vote on allowing staffers to unionize. And the Administration’s request for aid to Ukraine remains stalled amid unrelated opposition to COVID relief and immigration.

The Senate will take up a pair of health bills and the House-passed reforms to the U.S. Postal Service, while the House itself plans work on legislation expanding veterans’ care and benefits. The Biden Administration prepares for the State of the Union address and asks for $6.4 billion to support Ukraine and its neighbors after its invasion by Russia.