Houston Journal of Health Law and Policy

Our Editors Abel Chacko, Christopher Cabrera, and Sebastian Turet, all of incoming Board 25, were recently recognized at the 2024 Dean's Awards Ceremony. Congratulations to our talented editors! 🎉 #wearehoustonlaw #healthlaw #houstonlaw #UHLC #HoustonHLJ #houstonhlj #law

Join us at any one of the events to learn more about our journal. 1. HJHLP Meet & Greet – via Teams, Monday, April 15, 5 – 6 pm 2. HJHLP Office Meet & Greet – 515C, Tuesday, April 16, 12 - 1 pm 3. HJHLP Info Session – Room 310 & Teams, Thursday, April 18, 12 – 1 pm

Kathleen Douglas-Rowald explores the issue of elder financial abuse by way of her grandfather Nolan's ordeal with fraud at the hands of deeproot Funds, urging a review of protective laws for seniors. bit.ly/3SV3KDu

Ajita Hanel highlights the need for reform in the prior authorization process, emphasizing the need for exemptions for patients with chronic conditions in order to reduce delays in receiving critical care. bit.ly/3wHqgbD

Jacob Schurman analyzes Oregon's removal of residency requirements for physician-assisted death, highlighting constitutional debates and the implications for future legal challenges. bit.ly/431tF0M

Lizzy Do examines how human composting offers an eco-friendly alternative to traditional burial and cremation, addressing public health and environmental concerns in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. bit.ly/43aMaQI

Sara Golestaneh critically examines anti-homeless legislation, highlighting its public health impacts and the challenges it poses. She suggests a framework for aligning municipal laws with community health needs. bit.ly/43088FX

John V. Jacobi discusses the role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in bridging healthcare and community needs, advocating for dual paths to solve CHWs' connection to Medicaid: integration and independence. bit.ly/48ESmBw

Prof. Watson discusses Medicaid’s shortcomings w/r/t race, ethnicity, and health equity, highlighting and promoting Michigan’s community engagement, public reporting, and financial incentives as a model to improve health equity. bit.ly/3P6ZuQ4

Medha D. Makhlouf advocates for reforming non-profit hospitals’ charity care policies to ensure equitable access to healthcare for noncitizens, spotlighting various states’ efforts and proposing multilevel reforms. bit.ly/3wCEYka

Robert I. Field explores state Medicaid rules' impact on enrollment, highlighting their dual nature as barriers and facilitators. Surveying Congress' recent steps, he suggests three automated reforms to dampen restrictions. bit.ly/3P6zpAB

COVID-19 and the mpox epidemic highlighted sex-based risk disparities in medical resource allocation decisions. Profs. Diane Hoffmann & Katherine Goodman assess the legality of using sex, a protected trait, in medical resource allocation decisions. bit.ly/3rXxWV4

Litigation during the COVID-19 pandemic made the CDC's authority to suspend cruise ship operations uncertain. James J. Misrahi suggests policymakers may wish to clarify the CDC’s ability to respond to public health emergencies. bit.ly/44tw8jS #healthlaw #cdc #COVID19

The consequences stemming from prenatal/maternal substance abuse affects more than mothers. States' uneven approaches exacerbates this. Gabriella Mills offers a uniform approach that prioritizes treatment and provision of resources over punishment. houstonhealthlaw.scholasticahq.com/article/85151-…

Thousands of women and girls in the US are at risk of female genital mutilation. Congressional efforts to address FGM spar with federalism, and states' efforts are inconsistent. Bebe Thomas addresses these issues in her Comment, live now on our website. houstonhealthlaw.scholasticahq.com/article/85153-…

HIPAA does not do enough to keep pace with advances with A.I. Taylor Miller argues that the Privacy Rule should exclude the deidentification distinction and artificial intelligence, or at least require patient consent for use of their data via AI. houstonhealthlaw.scholasticahq.com/article/85152-…

The @UHLCHealthLaw, run by talented students from the University of Houston Law Center, is celebrating an extraordinary year of success and achievement! loom.ly/b78Aaas #healthlaw #universityofhouston #WeareHoustonLaw #HoustonLaw #GoCoogs

The pandemic presented unique questions about patent protections. Namely: Can the President temporarily suspend these protections in the context of a global pandemic. Student author Luke Shattuck addresses this question and more in the latest from HJHLP: houstonhealthlaw.scholasticahq.com/article/74290-…

There is a blatant gap between patients who require care post-discharge and an awareness of the resources available to them. Journal alumna Kristen Wheeler tackles this issue in the latest release of Health Law Perspectives. houstonhealthlaw.scholasticahq.com/article/73990-…

There was some great Journal representation at this year's UH Day at the Capitol! Journal members Tyler Brewster, Lizzy Do, and Bebe Thomas joined Dean Leonard Baynes in promoting UHLC legislative priorities at the 88th Texas Legislative Session. #houstonhlj #healthlaw #uhlc