Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG must face a US government lawsuit accusing it of paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to doctors in exchange for its drugs being prescribed, according to a ruling released Monday. A federal judge in Manhattan denied a motion for summary judgment by Novartis, holding that the US government provided enough evidence of [...]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Monday that the US government will increase by 2.53 percent on average 2020 payments to health insurers that manage Medicare Advantage insurance plans for seniors and chronically ill beneficiaries. The changes reflect an increase cost in medical care and align with the Trump administration’s efforts to increase competition [...]
The Colorado House of Representatives approved a “red flag” gun law Monday that will heighten safety measures for high-risk individuals thought to be a threat to themselves or others. The bill passed in the house by a 38-25 vote and in the Senate last Thursday by a 18-17 vote. Democratic Senate President Leroy Garcia opposed [...]
The District Attorneys Association of New York (DAASNY) filed a motion for preliminary injunction on Monday against a prosecutorial oversight committee—another step in the group’s fight against the legislation that creates it, signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo last Wednesday. The DAASNY has been staunchly opposed to the parameters of the commission, arguing it interferes with the discretion of [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Alaska has ruled that President Donald Trump’s 2017 executive order that overturned Obama-era restrictions on drilling for gas and oil in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans is unlawful. In a late decision Friday night, Judge Sharon Gleason found that the administration had exceeded its [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that an expert’s refusal to disclose private data will not result in the preclusion of her testimony. In the case at hand the Social Security Administration (SSA) utilized an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) to assess the merits of a Social Security claim. The Petitioner, Michael Biestek, was a former [...]
The New Zealand government introduced the Arms Amendment Bill Monday to reduce and restrict the number of semi-automatic and “military style” firearms, like the ones used by the recent Christchurch Mosque shooter. The legislation bans the use of semi-automatic rifles including detachable parts including detachable magazines and pump-action shotguns that can hold more than five [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday added one new case, Kansas v. Glover, to next term’s merits docket. The court will decide, for the purposes of an investigative stop under the Fourth Amendment, whether it is reasonable for a police officer to suspect that the person driving a car is the is also the registered [...]
Germany’s health minister, Jens Spahn, on Monday proposed a bill to tackle a shortage of donor organs with a reform that would make everyone a potential organ donor unless they have expressly “opted-out.” The organ donation rates are low in Germany since people currently opt in to the registry voluntarily. Last year, there was a [...]
Georgia’s lawmakers voted 92-78 to secure passage of a heartbeat abortion bill on Friday. The legislation would prohibit abortions once a vital heartbeat is detected reducing the number of weeks a woman can receive a legal abortion from 20 to almost six weeks. Following abortion bans in other states like Utah and Kentucky, this would become [...]
