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...
PLDO Law Blog
Health Care
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...
Employer Reporting Deadlines under the ACA Are Fast Approaching
If you employed 50 or more full-time employees (including full-time equivalent employees) in 2015, you are an "Applicable Large Employer" or "ALE" in accordance with the Affordable Care Act's ("ACA") Employer Shared Responsibility provisions under Section 4980H of the...
Protected Health Information and HIPAA – What You Need to Know Before You Respond to a Request or Subpoena
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA") Privacy Rule generally prohibits covered entities and their business associates from disclosing protected health information ("PHI") unless there is a valid written authorization or a specific exception...
FDA CONSIDERS RESCHEDULING MARIJUANA: A MILESTONE IN DRUG POLICY REFORM
The landscape of drug policy in the United States is poised for a significant shift as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) undertakes a reassessment of marijuana’s drug scheduling classification. The FDA is conducting a comprehensive review of marijuana’s current...
ARE NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENTS ENFORCEABLE IN RHODE ISLAND?
COURTS RULE IN FAVOR OF THE EMPLOYER’S AGREEMENT IN RECENT CASE The Rhode Island Supreme Court recently addressed the enforceability of a non-competition provision. In Walls v. Griggs & Browne Pest Control, Inc., the Court reviewed an agreement between Brian Walls...
NON-COMPETE AGREEMENTS IN RHODE ISLAND REMAIN ENFORCEABLE (FOR NOW)
On June 26, 2024, Governor Dan McKee vetoed two bills (S2436 A and H8059 A) that were passed by the General Assembly in the late hours of its final day of the 2024 session. The bills were amendments to the Rhode Island Noncompetition Agreement Act that, if signed into...
ONE RISK YOU SHOULDN’T TAKE IS NOT HAVING THE RIGHT LIFE INSURANCE
If you never return from your sailing trip around the globe or reemerge from the deep ocean depths on the submarine destined for the Titanic, will your family receive the death benefit proceeds from your life insurance policy? That answer, as well as the answer to...
HOW TO BUY ULTRA-DANGEROUS ASSETS
It’s never a good idea to buy an asset, like a boat or plane, in your own name or to have multiple parties on the title. First of all, when your name is on the title, you are personally liable for any damage that the asset may cause. For example, you and Joe own a...
