The Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School advocates for legal, regulatory, and policy reforms to improve the health of vulnerable populations. CHLPI is a clinical teaching program that houses the Health Law and Policy Clinic (HLPC) and the Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC), and mentors students to become skilled, innovative, and thoughtful practitioners as well as leaders in health, public health, and food law and policy. Students enrolled in the HLPC advance a broad range of national and state law and policy initiatives aimed at achieving more equitable health and public health care systems.

Student projects involve:

• Protecting progress made under the Affordable Care Act and promoting implementation of other health reforms that support access to high-quality and affordable health care in collaboration with community-based partners;
• Bringing lawsuits against public and private health insurers, challenging their use of unfair and discriminatory practices that violate patients’ right to medically necessary care; and
• Providing cutting-edge law and policy research, analysis, and technical assistance to health advocacy leaders, health and social service providers, and government to support the development of best practices.

Students in the Health Law and Policy Clinic (HLPC) enroll in one of three seminars—Public Health Law and Policy (offered in Fall and Spring), Health Care Rights in the 21st Century (offered in Fall), or Policy Advocacy Workshop (offered in Spring).