HHS Office for Civil Rights Director Melanie Fontes Rainer on Progress and News at OCR
Updates to Statute 1557 that Healthcare Providers Need to Know
Effective May 1, 2025, the Section 1557 regulations require covered healthcare providers to take reasonable steps by May 1, 2025, to identify and mitigate the risk of discrimination when they use AI and other emergency...more
Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act mandates nondiscrimination in health care programs managed or funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with upcoming deadlines for compliance set for May and July...more
On March 7, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) had initiated four investigations into unnamed medical schools and hospitals over allegations that the...more
In a move with potentially significant implications for entities subject to the Affordable Care Act, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has reversed course and now contends that Section 1557 of the Affordable...more
On March 7, 2025, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it would begin investigating four medical schools and hospitals pursuant to President Donald Trump’s...more
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has issued several executive orders (EOs) and actions that may have an impact on group health plans. These EOs provide insight into the US administration’s policies and outline...more
Following through on a campaign theme focused on transgender issues and access to gender-affirming health care, on Friday, January 28, President Trump signed an Executive Order, titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and...more
Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in certain healthcare activities. Among other requirements, all healthcare providers...more
On May 6, 2024, OCR published the final rule interpreting and implementing Section 1557 at 45 C.F.R. § 92 (the Final Rule). The Final Rule regulates the use of patient care decision support tools, including AI algorithms for...more
In April 2024, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule reinterpreting Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex,...more
On December 5, 2024, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a “Dear Colleague” letter reiterating obligations that covered entities have under the May 2024 final rule related...more
In April 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized revised regulations implementing Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The new, final Section 1557 regulations (2024...more
As the summer winds down, regulatory updates related to digital health services certainly do not appear to be showing any signs of cooling off. It has been a busy summer, and below we have summarized several key updates for...more
Generative AI is converging with every sector – and health care is no exception. With it, companies should keep up with the array of laws and regulations – existing and envisioned – that govern its use. Read on for highlights...more
Applicable Provider Types: All - Is Your Entity in Compliance? Recent regulatory language makes clear that most healthcare providers must provide free translators or interpreters for patients with limited English...more
A Mississippi federal district court has issued a nationwide injunction and stay on some of the new federal regulations concerning Affordable Care Act (ACA) Section 1557, which prohibits discrimination in specified health...more
Melanie Fontes Rainer recently marked the completion of her second year leading the Office for Civil Rights at HHS. In this podcast she shared some of the accomplishments over this time as well as what the health care...more
On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce (Loper Bright), overturning Chevron U.S.A. Inc v. Natural...more
The Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in 2010, contained a provision (commonly referred to as Section 1557) prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in...more
On April 26, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which broadly protects against discrimination in health programs or activities that...more
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued final regulations implementing Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which will restore and expand the scope of civil rights...more
Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, or any combination thereof, in a health program or activity, any part of which is...more
Earlier this month, HHS unveiled updated Section 1557 regulations which will impact most healthcare providers, including for the first time Medicare Part B providers who do not participate in other federal programs like...more
On May 6, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published the long-awaited Nondiscrimination in Health Programs...more
On May 9, 2024, the Biden Administration continued its push to update and modernize federal nondiscrimination protections by publishing revised regulations (the “Final Rule”) that amend the Department of Health and Human...more