Tuesday, July 26, 2022

HHS Proposes Rule Expanding Health Care Nondiscrimination Requirements

The Department of Health and Human Services yesterday issued a 308-page rule proposal (full text) titled Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities. The proposed rule would reverse a narrower interpretation of the nondiscrimination provisions in the Affordable Care Act that was reflected in a Trump Administration rule. As summarized by the American Hospital Association:

[T]he proposed rule restores and strengthens civil rights protections for patients and consumers in certain federally funded health programs after a 2020 version of the rule limited its scope and power to cover fewer programs and services. Specifically, HHS said the rule affirms protections against discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity, consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in Bostock v. Clayton County, and reiterates protections from discrimination for seeking reproductive health care services.

Bloomberg Law has more on the proposed rule.