AMERICAN UNIVERSITY | WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF LAW
Health Law & Policy Brief
The Health Law & Policy Brief is an online publication run by law students at American University Washington College of Law. Founded in 2007, the Health Law & Policy Brief publishes articles on a wide array of cutting-edge topics in health law. Such topics include health care compliance, fraud and abuse enforcement, health insurance payment and reimbursement issues, intellectual property issues, international human rights issues, FDA initiatives and policies, and a host of other matters. Beginning with a staff of just five, the Health Law & Policy Brief now boasts over twenty members and nearly 1,500 readers.
Current Issue
Volume 19, Issue 1
Latest from the Blog
The Impact of Tariffs on Drug Pricing and Accessibility
At the beginning of the new administration, there have been threats of tariffs on a wide variety of imported goods and against multiple nations. One such suggested tariff is that on imported pharmaceuticals. In February, the new administration suggested a 25% tariff could be imposed on imported pharmaceuticals. The impact on the […]
The Organ Shortage Crisis: Are Pigs the Answer?
As of April 4, 2025, there are 103,223 people in the United States waiting for an organ transplant that could save or greatly improve their life. Of those 103,223 people, seventeen of them will be dead by the end of the day. Tomorrow, seventeen more. Every eight minutes, another person is added to the transplant […]
NIH: A Freeze on Funding and Answers
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It consists of twenty-seven organizations known as Institutes and Centers. The NIH aims to foster creative discoveries and innovative research strategies; develop, maintain, and renew scientific human and physical resources to prevent disease; […]
HALTing Progress: Congress Doubles Down on Failed Drug Policies
Congress recently passed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of the Fentanyl Act in an attempt to provide a solution for the ongoing opioid crisis. The bill would make the temporary class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related substances (FRS) permanent, ensuring law enforcement has the tools to keep these deadly drugs off the streets while […]
The Trump Administration, Vaccines, and Misinformation: America’s 21st Century Plague
America suffered a tremendous loss in 2020: nearly 400,000 people died from Covid-19. In the years following, thousands more would die from the raging pandemic. That is until a vaccine with an efficacy against mortality rates of more than 90% brought the spread to a searing halt. Even still, millions of Americans reject vaccines […]
Medication Abortion in a Post-Dobbs Era
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an unprecedented ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. This decision has led to widespread repercussions with abortion bans in effect in forty-one states, twelve of which have imposed a ban as early as six weeks from conception when many do not know they […]
Repeating History: Measles Infections Resurge Across the Country
At the turn of the century, Measles was considered eliminated across the US. At the time, Measles was not constantly present, and cases were occasional. Twenty-five years later, two children have died in Texas, and another individual’s death is under investigation in New Mexico after testing positive. Measles has since expanded across 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia. The children […]
Alabama, the Latest State to be Blocked from Implementing Abortion Bans Prosecuting Individuals Crossing State Lines
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision striking down the federal right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization states have rapidly formulated new legislation to restrict access to abortion. This includes laws seeking to criminalize individuals who assist pregnant people in traveling out of state to receive abortions. Today, almost half of […]
Expansion of PA Newborn Safe Haven Law Requires Urgent Care Centers to Reassess Mandatory Reporting Procedures
Pennsylvania recently amended its Safe Haven laws to allow parents to surrender their newborns at urgent care centers without criminal liability. Previously, under Pennsylvania law, parents could only surrender their infants at hospitals, emergency medical services providers, and police stations without liability. However, in a recent amendment, Pennsylvania’s legislators expanded this law to include urgent care […]
Preemption or Exception? The Pandemic Era Informed Consent Debate
In August 2024, the Vermont Supreme Court decided that a family could not sue a school district, superintendent, or school nurse after their child was accidentally given a COVID-19 vaccine without parental consent. The unauthorized vaccination occurred in 2021 in the Windham Southeast School District of Brattleboro, Vermont, during a vaccine clinic hosted by […]