1–10: Groundbreaking Cases
Roe v. Wade (1973)
Legalized abortion throughout the United States, establishing a woman’s right to privacy under the 14th Amendment.
Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992)
Reaffirmed Roe v. Wade, adopting the “undue burden” test for abortion regulations.
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022)
Reversed Roe v. Wade, returning abortion regulation to the states.
Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)
Struck down laws prohibiting access to contraceptives, establishing the right to privacy in medical decisions.
Read Also:
- https://legalnexishub.com/20-health-law-questions-every-patient-should-know/
- https://legalnexishub.com/30-health-law-faqs-answered-for-practitioners/
- https://legalnexishub.com/25-legal-challenges-in-the-healthcare-sector/
Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905)
Upheld compulsory vaccination statutes, favoring collective health interests over individual rights.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Tangentially influenced health law by establishing precedent for equal access to public services, including healthcare.
Bowen v. American Hospital Association (1986)
Considered the rights of disabled infants, upholding nondiscrimination in medical treatment.
Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California (1976)
Established the duty to warn third parties of potential harm from a patient.
Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health (1990)
Confirmed the right to refuse life-sustaining treatment in certain circumstances.
Schloendorff v. Society of New York Hospital (1914)
Established the doctrine of informed consent, a foundation of medical ethics and law.
11–20: Privacy and Discrimination
Olmstead v. L.C. (1999)
Confirmed the ADA, mandating community-based care for people with disabilities when it is appropriate.
Bragdon v. Abbott (1998)
Ruled that HIV is a disability under the ADA, and therefore cannot be discriminated against in healthcare.
Canterbury v. Spence (1972)
Strengthened informed consent by requiring disclosure of significant risks.
Wendell v. GlaxoSmithKline (2017)
Addressed pharmaceutical liability for inadequate warnings.
Doe v. Bolton (1973)
Expanded access to abortion by striking down overly restrictive state laws.
Washington v. Glucksberg (1997)
Denied a constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide, leaving regulation to the states.
Vacco v. Quill (1997)
Upheld state bans on physician-assisted suicide, distinguishing it from the right to refuse treatment.
United States v. Rutherford (1979)
Limited availability of experimental drugs, off-label use, for terminally ill patients.
Wickline v. State (1986)
Mentioned issues of the role of insurers in selecting the course of treatment and their potential personal liability in instances where the patient suffered adverse results
Helling v. McKinney (1993)
Discussed environmental health matters. Environmental toxins violate constitutional rights in certain cases.
21–30: Public Health and Liability
South Dakota v. Dole (1987)
Approved conditional federal funding to promote compliance with public health regulations, for example, to increase the minimum drinking age
NFIB v. Sebelius (2012)
Upheld the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate as a tax.
King v. Burwell (2015)
Preserved federal subsidies under the ACA for health insurance purchased on federally-run exchanges.
Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (2014)
Allowed businesses to refuse contraceptive coverage on religious grounds under the ACA.
Gonzales v. Carhart (2007)
Upheld the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, reinforcing government regulation in specific medical procedures.
Estelle v. Gamble (1976)
Recognized prisoners’ constitutional right to adequate medical care.
Wyeth v. Levine (2009)
Confirmed that FDA compliance does not protect drug makers from liability
McCullough v. Maryland (1819)
Set the federal precedent for oversight of healthcare structures
Buck v. Bell (1927)
Approved compelled sterilization based on a persons inability to breed, a policy now widely recognized as a egregious mistake
King v. University Healthcare System (2015)
Established the cause of action that can be imposed upon hospitals by injured patients with regard to alleged inadequate staffing that resulted in such injuries
31–40: Issues and Advancements
Zubik v. Burwell (2016)
Challenged ACA contraceptive mandates on religious grounds.
Texas v. United States (2018)
Challenged the constitutionality of the ACA’s individual mandate after the penalty was set to $0.
United States v. Blue Cross Blue Shield (2020)
Antitrust settlement affecting healthcare insurers and market competition.
Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt (2016)
Struck down Texas abortion laws imposing an undue burden on women.
California v. Texas (2021)
Upheld the ACA, ruling that plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the law after the individual mandate penalty was reduced to $0.
FDA v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. (2000)
Limited the FDA’s authority to regulate tobacco products, later overturned by legislation.
Riegel v. Medtronic, Inc. (2008)
Protected medical device manufacturers from certain lawsuits if their products had FDA approval.
Aetna Health Inc. v. Davila (2004)
Affirmed that ERISA applies to claims for health insurance benefits, curtailing state law remedies.
Sebelius v. Auburn Regional Medical Center (2013)
Fixed time frames in which hospitals are allowed to file appeals regarding Medicare reimbursement determinations.
Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. (2013)
Held that naturally occurring DNA cannot be patented, changing genetic testing and research.
These cases have framed current health care policy: privacy, discrimination, access, liability, and new medical technologies.