The Affordable Care Act ("ACA") created both tax credits to make health insurance premiums more affordable and cost-sharing reductions intended to reduce deductibles, coinsurance, and co-pays. According to the ACA, insurers are required to reduce the cost-sharing of...
PLDO Law Blog
Adam Greshowak
The Legal Battle for Cell Phone Privacy Wages On
In order to aid Federal law enforcement officers with an investigation into the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack, a judge has ordered Apple Inc. to develop new technology to defeat security measures present in iPhone operating systems. Apple, however, has...
HIPAA Business Associate Agreements: A Primer
If you work in the health care field, in any capacity, you have surely heard of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or "HIPAA;" and if you or your business create, use, disclose or accept protected health information ("PHI"), you are likely a...
Reporting Deadlines Under the Affordable Care Act Extended
On December 28, 2015, by way of Notice 2016-4, the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") extended the due dates for 2015 information reporting pursuant to the Affordable Care Act ("ACA"). Noting that some insurers and employers need...
Equal Access To Justice Act Determined To Be Inapplicable To Non-Parties
The Equal Access to Justice for Small Businesses and Individuals Act (“EAJA”) is a legislative enactment whose purpose is to “mitigate the burden placed upon individuals and small businesses by the arbitrary and capricious decisions of administrative agencies made...
DOL Releases Two Final Rules on Overtime Pay Under The FLSA
Two new final rules have been released by the Department of Labor (“DOL”) which update the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). These rules will impact how an employer calculates paying an employee overtime under the FLSA. 1. The DOL released a final rule on September...
Employees Texting In The Workplace: Some Practical Tips
Fake news. Fake videos. Deep fakes. We have all heard stories of people photoshopping or faking photos to make others look bad or create a scandal. However, an equally disturbing trend is emerging: fake text messages. There are numerous sites and apps available to...
Project Nightingale: Take-Away Lesson for Providers and Payors
There has been much ado lately about a newly-revealed joint venture between Ascension Medical Group and Google. Ascension is the nation’s largest non-profit health care system; Ascension Medical Group is the company’s subsidiary physician group, with facilities in...
Rhode Island Supreme Court Dismisses Tenant Appeal
In a recent Rhode Island Supreme Court decision, the Court summarily dismissed a residential tenant’s appeal due to the tenant’s failure to continue to pay rent during the pendency of the appeal. This requirement, which is set forth in section 34-18-52 of the Rhode...