Legal & Regulatory Issues

The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in a lawsuit involving the application of the Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act to False Claims Act cases — an issue that has the potential to spur more healthcare fraud lawsuits.

If you think postponing the ICD-10 switchover deadline from Oct. 1 will only affect healthcare providers and software vendors, Juliet Santos of ICD-10 Monitor says, you're wrong — it could affect the safety of the country at large.

Although a great deal of President Barack Obama's sixth State of the Union address focused on highlighting an improved economy and striving for better politics, numerous health-related issues also made an appearance in the annual speech.

Pennsylvania has settled U.S. government claims it violated federal law by providing benefits to ineligible immigrants under three federal programs for $48.8 million, according to a Reuters report.

A teenager in Florida has been busted after pretending to be a physician at West Palm Beach, Fla.-based St. Mary's Medical Center for a month, according to a KCTV report.

Pittsburgh-based UPMC and health insurer Highmark Health continue to battle, this time in regard to delivering babies at UPMC Magee, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to address a hospital's right to higher Medicaid reimbursement as part of an Idaho case, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.

The nation's largest insurer, UnitedHealth Group, has lost a bid to begin selling coverage across California next year, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

Boca Raton, Fla.-based Med-Care Diabetic & Medical Supplies, which employs Daniel M. Porush, who inspired the character Donnie Azoff in the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street," was raided by the FBI for suspected Medicare fraud, according to a Bloomberg…

The following is a roundup of recently introduced legislation and legislative developments affecting the healthcare industry.