With a health law background in both government and private practice, Michael Kolber represents and advises health insurers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, health care providers, state and federal agencies, technology vendors, and others on implementation of health coverage issues, especially the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare and Medicaid managed care, value-based purchasing, and employee benefits. He provides legal and policy advice with a particular focus on mental health parity; medical loss ratio reporting; pharmacy benefit management; risk adjustment in Medicare, Medicaid and commercial managed care; and health care nondiscrimination rules. He provides regulatory advice and advocacy, counsels clients on corporate transactions, and litigates in federal court and before administrative tribunals. Michael’s work often occurs at the intersection of public policy, regulatory advice and litigation.
Health care reform. Prior to joining Manatt, Michael was the lead legal adviser to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on several key features of the ACA, including essential health benefits, health insurance exchanges and risk adjustment. Now, health insurers, actuarial consultants, state exchanges, technology vendors, health care providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers turn to Michael to advise them on complex regulatory questions, advocate on their behalf in front of key federal decision makers, and argue these issues when they arise in litigation. A frequent speaker and author on health care reform, Michael coauthored Bloomberg BNA’s treatise on the subject.
Employee benefits. Michael counsels health insurers, third-party administrators, benefits consultants and others on the interaction among ERISA, the ACA and other employee benefits laws. He has also performed analyses for states on how state efforts at provider payment and delivery system reform relate to self-insured employer health plans.
Federal health programs. Michael advises clients on many aspects of federal health care programs, including Medicare and Medicaid managed care, value-based contracting, prescription drug price reporting, price transparency, the Freedom of Information Act, and fraud and abuse laws.
Prior to joining Manatt, Michael was an attorney in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Division of the HHS Office of the General Counsel. He served as a law clerk to the Hon. Amalya L. Kearse of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.