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Articles 1 - 18 of 18
Full-Text Articles in Law
Blatant Discrimination Within Federal Law: A 14th Amendment Analysis Of Medicaid’S Imd Exclusion, J. Michael E. Gray, Madeline Easdale
Blatant Discrimination Within Federal Law: A 14th Amendment Analysis Of Medicaid’S Imd Exclusion, J. Michael E. Gray, Madeline Easdale
University of Massachusetts Law Review
A discriminatory piece of Medicaid law, the institution for mental diseases (IMD) exclusion, is denying people with serious mental illness equal levels of treatment as those with only primary healthcare needs. The IMD exclusion denies the use of federal funding in psychiatric hospitals for inpatient care. This article discusses the history and collateral implications of the IMD exclusion, then examines it through the lens of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, argues that people with severe mental illness constitute a quasi-suspect class, and that application of intermediate scrutiny would render the IMD exclusion unenforceable.
From Nucleotides To Nuanced Law: The Value Of An Incremental Approach To Experimentation In State-Level Genetic Anti-Discrimination Legislation, Katelyn Fisher
From Nucleotides To Nuanced Law: The Value Of An Incremental Approach To Experimentation In State-Level Genetic Anti-Discrimination Legislation, Katelyn Fisher
University of Massachusetts Law Review
A person’s genetic information tells a detailed story of what someone looks like, who her relatives are, and even what illnesses she may develop. This information, as enlightening as it may be, can be especially damaging when utilized in a discriminatory way. This Note explores how the protections under the Genetic Non Discrimination Act of 2008 will no longer be sufficient for protecting individuals from genetic discrimination as the use of genetic information becomes more commonplace. The questions become: Where do we start? How and where should protections that extend to circumstances not covered by GINA be created in a …
Feminist Perspectives On Disaster, Pandemics, And Intimate Partner Violence, Margaret Drew
Feminist Perspectives On Disaster, Pandemics, And Intimate Partner Violence, Margaret Drew
Faculty Publications
The COVID-19 pandemic brought international awareness to the likelihood of increased abuse of those in abusive intimate partner relationships because of the forced confinement with their abusers (Bettinger-Lopez and Bro, A double pandemic: domestic violence in the age of COVID 19, Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/double-pandemic-domestic-violence-age-covid-19, 2020). While this awareness was much discussed, assistance to survivors of abuse was limited because survivors often could not reach out for help, nor could advocates wishing to offer assistance safely reach in to advise them (Taub, A new Covid-19 crisis: domestic abuse rises worldwide. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/world/coronavirus-domestic-violence.html, 2020). The ever-present influence of the …
Complicated Lives: A Look Into The Experience Of Individuals Living With Hiv, Legal Impediments, And Other Social Determinants Of Health, Margaret B. Drew, Jason Potter, Caitlin Stover
Complicated Lives: A Look Into The Experience Of Individuals Living With Hiv, Legal Impediments, And Other Social Determinants Of Health, Margaret B. Drew, Jason Potter, Caitlin Stover
Faculty Publications
Those living with HIV continue to have challenges that extend well beyond their medical needs Public misconceptions surrounding HIV transmission and treatment have resulted in systemic and pervasive discrimination against those living with the disease. Common misconceptions include overly optimistic perceptions of the modern state of medical treatment, leading the uninformed to conclude that people living with HIV are minimally impacted by the disease, and misunderstandings regarding how the disease is transmitted from person-to-person, leading to stigma and social prejudice. Because of these misconceptions, three professors from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth formed a community partnership to determine the unmet …
Too Clever By Half: Commanding The Nonuse Of State Authority To Regulate Health Benefits In The Aca, Michael F. Ryan
Too Clever By Half: Commanding The Nonuse Of State Authority To Regulate Health Benefits In The Aca, Michael F. Ryan
University of Massachusetts Law Review
Prior to the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), state legislatures routinely passed laws requiring health insurance carriers to cover certain health care services or providers. At the behest of the insurance industry, Congress attempted to use the health reform law as a vehicle to reign in state-specific “mandated benefit” laws. That being said, the ACA does not prevent states from enacting mandated benefit laws; in fact, the statute expressly permits states to enact such laws. Instead, Congress created a significant barrier to continued state-specific regulation of health insurance benefits. Specifically, 42 U.S.C. § 18031(d)(3)(B)(ii) (Section …
Services And Resources For People Living With Hiv/Aids In The Southcoast Of Massachusetts: “Can’T Get There From Here!”, Jason Potter Burda, Margaret B. Drew, Caitlin M. Stover
Services And Resources For People Living With Hiv/Aids In The Southcoast Of Massachusetts: “Can’T Get There From Here!”, Jason Potter Burda, Margaret B. Drew, Caitlin M. Stover
Faculty Publications
Fall River and New Bedford, two diverse and economically challenged cities in the Southcoast region of Massachusetts, are areas of substantial concern in the effort to reduce HIV incidence and to provide effective services for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Commonwealth. In these two communities, HIV disparately impacts marginalized populations, with particularly high infection and prevalence rates among men who have sex with men and injection drug users in comparison to other Massachusetts localities. This project used community engaged research principles to conduct a community assessment guided by the social determinants of health. The primary goal of this study …
Negative Portrayal Of Vaccines By Commercial Websites: Tortious Misrepresentation, Donald C. Arthur
Negative Portrayal Of Vaccines By Commercial Websites: Tortious Misrepresentation, Donald C. Arthur
University of Massachusetts Law Review
Commercial website publishers use false and misleading information to create distrust of vaccines by claiming vaccines are ineffective and contain contaminants that cause autism and other disorders. The misinformation has resulted in decreased childhood vaccination rates and imperiled the public by allowing resurgence of vaccine-preventable illnesses. This Article argues that tort liability attaches to publishers of commercial websites for foreseeable harm that results when websites dissuade parents from vaccinating their children in favor of purchasing alternative products offered for sale on the websites.
Preventing Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Within The Opioid Epidemic: A Uniform Facilitative Policy, Jeremiah A. Ho
Preventing Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Within The Opioid Epidemic: A Uniform Facilitative Policy, Jeremiah A. Ho
Faculty Publications
The United States is currently in the midst of an opioid epidemic that has hit states in the southern New England regions particularly hard — with Massachusetts as one primary example. One of the many unfortunate results of the epidemic is a dramatic upsurge in cases of opioid dependency by expectant women that result in children born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). NAS is a clinical syndrome that occurs when a newborn suffers withdrawal symptoms as a consequence of abrupt discontinuation of prenatal substance exposure. The expenses of treating and rehabilitating these drug-dependent newborns, predominantly shouldered by state taxpayers, are …
Prep And Our Youth: Implications In Law And Policy, Jason Potter Burda
Prep And Our Youth: Implications In Law And Policy, Jason Potter Burda
Faculty Publications
Truvada®, an antiretroviral medication originally approved to treat HIV, is the first drug to receive FDA approval for use by HIV-negative individuals to actually prevent infection. The prophylactic use of an antiretroviral such as Truvada is a pharmacological prevention method called “HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis” (or “PrEP”). With an efficacy of over ninety percent when used as prescribed, Truvada as PrEP has been embraced by the public health community, and implementation is under way across the United States. Truvada as PrEP is currently indicated for adult use only, but it may also be prescribed off-label to at-risk youth. In this Article, …
The Aca’S 2017 State Innovation Waiver: Is Erisa A Roadblock To Meaningful Healthcare Reform?, Marea B. Tumber
The Aca’S 2017 State Innovation Waiver: Is Erisa A Roadblock To Meaningful Healthcare Reform?, Marea B. Tumber
University of Massachusetts Law Review
In 2017, the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) State Innovation Waiver (§1332) will enable states to waive many of the ACA’s provisions and to develop their own creative solutions to reign in healthcare spending. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) was enacted to encourage employers to sponsor benefit plans and minimize potential conflicts with existing state laws. Because of ERISA, the regulation of employee benefit plans, including health plans, falls primarily under federal jurisdiction for about 131 million people. This Note explores the ways in which ERISA presents significant roadblocks to meaningful state level healthcare reform under §1332. …
Remedies For Detainees: The Impact Of The Ninth Circuit's Decision On Medical Negligence Cases, Arzoo Rajani
Remedies For Detainees: The Impact Of The Ninth Circuit's Decision On Medical Negligence Cases, Arzoo Rajani
University of Massachusetts Law Review
This comment examines the impact of the Ninth Circuit‘s holding in medical neglect cases and whether the Second Circuit made an error. To examine this issue, it must first be understood what the factual and legal background is concerning each case, the detainee‘s medical rights and the types of actions they can bring against government employees. After examining the law, the Second Circuit‘s holding is then compared with the Ninth Circuit‘s holding. Finally, this comment argues why the Supreme Court should affirm the Ninth Circuit‘s holding.
Goals Vs. Deadlines: Notes On The Va Disability Claims Backlog, Daniel L. Nagin
Goals Vs. Deadlines: Notes On The Va Disability Claims Backlog, Daniel L. Nagin
University of Massachusetts Law Review
Drawing primarily on policy considerations, social science research, and the relevant statutory and doctrinal frameworks within veterans benefits law, this article argues that Congress should subject the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to a clear and enforceable deadline for making initial eligibility determinations on claims for service-connected compensation. Despite widespread media coverage of delays in VA’s adjudication system and countless oversight hearings and congressional proposals for reform, this simple idea – to impose a hard deadline upon VA has either been overlooked entirely or drowned out by a preoccupation with other types of legislative responses to the VA claims …
When Condoms Fail: Making Room Under The Aca Blanket For Prep Hiv Prevention, Jason Potter Burda
When Condoms Fail: Making Room Under The Aca Blanket For Prep Hiv Prevention, Jason Potter Burda
Faculty Publications
Given the alarming upward trend in HIV infection rates and the downward trend in condom usage, we need a new approach to HIV prevention in the United States. One such approach, HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (commonly known as “PrEP”), has the potential to significantly reduce HIV incidence. The FDA recently approved a daily dose of Truvada® — an antiretroviral drug that suppresses the virus in HIV-positive individuals — for daily use by high-risk HIV-negative individuals to prevent infection. Despite an effectiveness above ninety percent and significant regulatory momentum, this pharmacological prevention modality has proven difficult to implement. In this Article, I …
Much Ado About Nothing? A Critical Examination Of Therapeutic Jurisprudence, Dennis Roderick, Susan T. Krumholz
Much Ado About Nothing? A Critical Examination Of Therapeutic Jurisprudence, Dennis Roderick, Susan T. Krumholz
University of Massachusetts Law Review
In the decades since the 1970s there have been several movements designed to impact or alter the workings of the legal system. The most lasting and widespread of these movements has been the development and systemic incorporation of mediation or Alternative Dispute Resolution, especially in the arena of family law but also impacting community disagreements, a variety of commercial disputes, and civil cases in general. However mediation did not significantly impact the practice of criminal law. Rapid growth in the number of individuals being processed through the criminal courts during the 1980s and 1990s shifted the focus to the criminal …
Self-Inflicted Wounds: How Military Regulations Prejudice Service Members, Kyndra Miller Rotunda, Ari Freilich
Self-Inflicted Wounds: How Military Regulations Prejudice Service Members, Kyndra Miller Rotunda, Ari Freilich
University of Massachusetts Law Review
This Article discusses two important facets of Military Regulation and veterans law. First, this Article explores how the Uniform Code of Military Justice treats veterans accused of committing self-injury. Thus, there is a prohibition on , including criminal prosecution of, attempted suicide, which this Article argues exacerbates the issues which many of our brave servicemen and women face upon returning home from combat, often carrying the burden of mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Second, this Article delves into Air Force Regulations, which prohibits termination, without cause, once an officer reaches the rank of Major and has served at …
Maria’S Law: Extending Insurance Coverage For Fertility Preservation To Cancer Patients In Massachusetts, Brittany Raposa
Maria’S Law: Extending Insurance Coverage For Fertility Preservation To Cancer Patients In Massachusetts, Brittany Raposa
University of Massachusetts Law Review
This Note addresses the issues related to fertility preservation treatments for cancer patients in the context of insurance coverage. As cancer survival rates improve, the ability to bear children after therapy is increasingly difficult and a concern for most patients. Currently, no states have laws requiring insurance coverage for fertility preservation treatments for cancer patients. Because it is not currently covered by either private or public insurance, only those who can pay for it on their own can use fertility preservation treatments. This note proposes that Massachusetts, as having one of the most inclusive infertility health insurance mandates, should expand …
Mental Health Advance Directives: Having One's Say?, Justine A. Dunlap
Mental Health Advance Directives: Having One's Say?, Justine A. Dunlap
Faculty Publications
First, this Article traces the extension of the right to refuse treatment to the psychiatric realm. Next, the Article addresses advance directives for health care and their utility for mental health issues. Then, the Article examines state statutory and judicial responses to mental health advance directives. Finally, the Article analyzes why the right to control future psychiatric treatment, including the right to refuse treatment, has been slow to gain acceptance. Although mental health advance directives present real challenges, legally and otherwise, this Article concludes that they are firmly rooted in the law and their rejection is, more often than not, …
What's Competence Got To Do With It: The Right Not To Be Acquitted By Reason Of Insanity, Justine A. Dunlap
What's Competence Got To Do With It: The Right Not To Be Acquitted By Reason Of Insanity, Justine A. Dunlap
Faculty Publications
An acquittal by reason of insanity is sufficiently adverse and is in many ways more akin to a conviction than to an outright acquittal. Although not technically punishment, it involves substantial infringement of rights. The legal literature has devoted significant space to the issue of a criminal defendant’s competence to stand trial and to the issue of the insanity plea. The problem of a pretrial insanity acquittal of an incompetent defendant, on the other hand, has not been extensively examined. In undertaking that task, this article will, in Part II, review the law and practice of competency determinations. Part III …