Press Releases

HLA and Proskauer field Expert Panel to discuss Supreme Court's Health Care Reform Ruling

On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, upholding the act overall.

On July 2, HLA and Proskauer convened a panel of distinguished health law and health care reform experts to discuss what the Supreme Court's decision means for health care reform, employers, providers, insurers and consumers, and how it impacts established Supreme Court doctrine. The panel and audience enjoyed a lively and engaging discussion and we thank all of those in attendance for making the event such a success. In particular we are grateful for our partnership with Proskauer and leadership and expertise in organizing the event.

For those who could not attend in person, you can download an audio recording of the proceedings here.

 

 

Moderator:

Wendy E. Parmet
Wendy E. Parmet is the George J. and Kathleen Waters Matthews Distinguished Professor and Professor of Law at Northeastern University School of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. She is the author of Populations, Public Health, and the Law, published by Georgetown University Press in 2009 and with Professor Patricia Illingworth, Ethical Health Care, published by Prentice Hall in 2005, as well as numerous articles in medical journals and law reviews on public health law, health law, and disability law.  She has taught Public Health Law, Health Law, Disability Law, Bioethics, Torts and Constitutional Law.  Professor Parmet is a member of the Board of Directors of Health Law Advocates and Health Care for All.

Panelists:

Sarah G. Gordon
Sarah G. Gordon is Vice President of Legal Affairs for the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans.  Ms. Gordon joined MAHP in 2006, shortly following passage of Chapter 58 of the Acts of 2006, bringing with her two years of experience in criminal, financial, and insurance litigation. After joining MAHP, Ms. Gordon was extensively involved in implementation of Massachusetts Health Care Reform, working with issues related to commercial, Medicaid, and Connector programs. Ms. Gordon is MAHP's representative to the Advisory Committee to the Health Care Quality and Cost Council, where she has served as both Vice Chair and Chair for the Committee. She also serves as MAHP's general counsel and advises MAHP on compliance with state ethics laws and regulations. Ms. Gordon currently serves on the MWPC PAC Board, and also serves as the co-chair for the MassGap Health and Human Services and Elder Affairs Task Force. 

Peter Marathas
Peter Marathas is a Partner at Proskauer Rose LLP.  He advises his clients on Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation matters from the firm's Boston office.  Mr. Marathas is a Chambers®-ranked lawyer who has been consistently ranked as one of the country's Best Lawyers®.  He has a well-established national reputation for his work in health care reform and is considered to be among a short list of lawyers that employers across the country call upon to assist them with strategic responses and operational compliance with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act.  Mr. Marathas has spoken about the Act at venues in over 35 states across the country.    

Wendy K. Mariner
Wendy K. Mariner is the Edward R. Utley Professor of Health Law at Boston University School of Public Health, Professor of Law at BU School of Law, and Professor of Socio-Medical Sciences at BU School of Medicine. She co-directs the Health Law Program at the School of Law and directs the JD-MPH Dual Degree Program at the School of Public Health. Professor Mariner's research and teaching focuses on patient rights, risk regulation, health reform legislation, health insurance, medical privacy, public health, and research with human subjects. She is currently a member of the Massachusetts Health Care Quality and Cost Council Advisory Committee, charged with implementing the Commonwealth's health reform legislation. Professor Mariner also organized and drafted the Brief of 104 Health Law Professors as Amici Curiae to the US Supreme Court on the minimum coverage issue in DHHS v. Florida (Jan. 2012).

David G. Spackman
David G. Spackman is the General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Governmental Affairs for Lahey Health System, an integrated health care delivery system headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. Prior to coming to Lahey in May of 2012, Mr. Spackman's 36 year career in health care encompassed both private practice, with the law firms of Mintz Levin, Greenberg Traurig and most recently McDermott Will & Emery, and public service, as General Counsel to the then Department of Health and Hospitals of the City of Boston and most recently as Chief of the Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division of the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General.