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 thirty staffers and nearly 1,500 readers.
Current Issue
Volume 20, Issue 1
Navigating the Labyrinth of the Social Security Administration:
Legal and Procedural Barriers for Fibromyalgia Disability Claims
Nicholas Menacho-Foronda
Latest from the Blog
The Unfinished Cleanup: PFAS in the Anacostia
Rivers running around Washington, D.C. are no stranger to contamination. Aging combined sewer systems routinely dump wastewater into local waterways through discharges known as combined sewage overflows, while legacy pollution from past military activities pollute the water as well, particularly in the Anacostia. D.C.’s agencies have evolved to address the […]
Deregulating the EPA: How the Elimination of the Endangerment Finding Ignores Health Consequences for Infants and Children
This month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Trump administration rescinded the Obama-era Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Endangerment Finding and the subsequent emission regulation standards that have accompanied it. Published by the EPA on December 15, 2009, the Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases Under Section 202(a) […]
Recent Bipartisan Report Raises Concerns About Incarceration of Juveniles with Mental Health Needs
The offices of Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Republican Representative Jen Kiggans of Virginia have released a seminal report after conducting a more than year-long investigation into the prolonged incarceration of children with mental health conditions. They found that more than half of the surveyed juvenile detention centers […]
Can TrumpRx Beat Big Pharma at Its Own Game?
On February 5, 2026, the Trump administration launched trumprx.gov, a government-linked prescription drug website intended to help Americans access discounted prescription medicines. The platform was unveiled by the Administration as part of a broader effort to make drug prices more affordable for U.S. patients. Rather than functioning as a traditional […]
AI & Medicare Coverage: The New WISeR Model
On January 1, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model (WISeR). The goal of this model, according to CMS, is to use artificial intelligence (AI) to encourage safe and effective navigation for Medicare participants on certain services, which will assist […]
The Politicization of Research: NIH Cuts, DEI Litigation, and the Future of Health Equity Research
Under the Trump administration, hospitals, medical schools, and academic research centers have faced an increasing wave of legal and regulatory challenges to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. What began as coordinated complaints to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights quickly expanded into a […]
Overcompensation?: The FDA Nixes Boxed Warnings for MHT Drugs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently removed boxed warnings for six menopausal hormone therapy treatments (MHTs), drugs that reduce the uncomfortable side effects of reduced estrogen levels. These are the FDA’s highest level of warnings that appear on drug packaging in bold print and warn users of serious […]
The Future of Equal Protection for Transgender Youth in School Sports
On January 13, 2026, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox. These two cases challenged state laws that banned transgender girls and women from joining girls’ and women’s sports teams at public schools and colleges. In West Virginia v. B.P.J., 15-year-old Becky […]
Artificial Intelligence Is A Threat To Public Health And Universal Programs Are The Only Solution
Under the best case scenario, AI may present novel opportunities for disease surveillance, diagnostics, and drug-development, but relatively little attention has been paid to the emerging, cataclysmic public health crisis it will cause. The costs are mounting. The noise and air pollution caused by data centers, AI psychosis, and ChatGPT […]
Denying Medical Care to ICE Detainees: Treating Their Needs as Optional
In just one year, the number of people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has increased by over 75%, with a record 73,000 people held in detention as of mid-January. As anti-ICE protests across the country call attention to detainees, there is an increasing need to understand the questionable, […]