American healthcare is governed by a complex division of authority between the federal government and the states. This “dual sovereignty” system affects everything: what services hospitals must provide, how professionals are licensed, what public health measures states can enforce, how Medicare and Medicaid operate, which vaccines are mandated, how data privacy is protected, how emergencies are handled, and even who gets to make decisions about reproductive care or end-of-life choices.
This course provides a thorough and accessible examination of how federal and state jurisdiction works, why it is structured this way, and how real-world healthcare systems must navigate overlapping and sometimes conflicting layers of authority.
Participants will learn the legal and constitutional foundations of this division, how courts resolve conflicts, how agencies exercise power, and how healthcare organizations translate these rules into daily practice.
The course is designed to be practically useful, not theoretical. It shows how jurisdictional boundaries affect everyday healthcare decisions, patient rights, provider obligations, administrative enforcement, reimbursement rules, and public health strategies.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
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Understand the constitutional foundations of federal and state authority in healthcare.
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Explain the different spheres of federal jurisdiction (Medicare, Medicaid, FDA regulation, HIPAA, OSHA, etc.) vs. state jurisdiction (licensing, public health powers, facility regulation, insurance regulation).
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Identify situations where both federal and state laws interact, overlap, or conflict.
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Apply principles of preemption to determine which laws govern when disputes arise.
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Recognize the unique role local governments play in health regulation.
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Understand how public health emergencies alter or stretch jurisdictional boundaries.
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Analyze real-world regulatory problems through the lens of federal-state balance.
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Predict how emerging issues—AI in medicine, telehealth, biosecurity, reproductive law—may evolve under this jurisdictional framework.
