The Supreme Court on June 28 upended the 40-year-old Chevron precedent, which gave federal agencies interpretive leeway where statutes were murky. The Supreme Court’s decision will have a broad impact on federal regulation and legislation, including statutes and rules governing healthcare, affordable housing, and other aging services. It may affect how federal agencies interpret statutes relating to programs they administer, including Medicaid and Medicare, and the content of regulations the agencies issue.
The decision may also influence how Congressional lawmakers draft bills in some instances, such as by including more detailed requirements or definitions or by addressing specifically what authority or discretion is delegated to a federal agency that will implement a statutory provision. And finally, the ruling could result in additional litigation by parties seeking to challenge certain federal regulations governing health care and affordable housing and the interpretation of statutes that underlie those rules. The specific effects will depend on a variety of factors, but the Court’s decision will have a significant impact in years to come.
