Insights

Washington – July 22, 2022:  Crowell & Moring is advising Amazon on health care and related matters in its acquisition of One Medical for approximately $3.9 billion. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published an interim final rule with comment (IFC) instructing all state Medicaid agencies to incorporate “community engagement” as an eligibility condition for program participation by no later than January 1, 2027. The rule (Medicaid Program; Community Engagement Requirement for Certain Individuals) does not impose affirmative operational obligations for Medicaid managed care plans, as it focuses primarily on equipping the states to administer the community engagement requirement. However, it does establish a few specific guardrails to govern the role managed care organizations, prepaid inpatient health plans, and prepaid ambulatory health plans may — and may not — play in that administration.

On March 3, 2026, the Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Department of the Treasury (TREAS) — collectively, the “Tri-Agencies” — published their fourth annual report to Congress on enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). The 2025 Report demonstrates a shift in approach by the Tri-Agencies in its tone and content and suggests that federal regulators, and the DOL in particular, are not as active as they previously were in MHPAEA enforcement. However, federal enforcement remains ongoing, and state enforcement of mental health parity laws continues to grow. Plans and issuers must continue to maintain comprehensive compliance processes and documentation for MHPAEA compliance.

On July 4, President Trump signed into law the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (“the Act”), or H.R. 1, which makes significant changes to federal healthcare programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, and Health Insurance Marketplaces. As proposed in previous versions of the Act, the Act includes cuts to the Medicaid program and imposes new requirements on beneficiaries, states, and healthcare providers.

Host Megan Beaver talks to Alex Lucas and Jason Mayer about the No Surprises Act, a 2021 law designed to protect patients from unexpected medical bills, the federal independent dispute resolution process it created, the challenges that have plagued that process, and the new federal rule issued on June 4, 2026. The episode also covers the growing wave of enforcement litigation and what’s on the horizon for IDR.

This podcast episode features the following speakers:

In this episode, hosts Payal Nanavati and Megan Beaver speak with Linda Malek and Matthew F. Ferraro about the latest federal and state developments in artificial intelligence (AI) policy affecting health care. The conversation covers the Trump administration’s AI action plan and Executive Orders on AI, new industry-specific and comprehensive state laws, and enforcement trends, with a focus on how these changes impact the health care industry.