In This Issue:

Where Does The Healthcare Law Now Stand? By Sandra Feingerts (New Orleans)

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – better known as Healthcare Reform, or even “Obamacare” – continues to make news. The recently-passed act to keep the government open eliminated the free choice voucher – a requirement that would have placed an additional burden on employers in the administration of their health plans by requiring them to give some employees a voucher for the amount the employer pays for an employee’s insurance that could be used by the employee to purchase insurance on the state exchange.....

Dramatic Increases In HIPAA Privacy And Security Enforcement By Callan Carter (San Francisco)

Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has sent a strong message about its commitment to enforcement of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules by announcing two HIPAA Privacy Rule enforcements within one week, one of which includes the first ever use of civil monetary penalties for a HIPAA Privacy Rule violation.....