ERIC helps America’s largest employers stay ahead of employee benefit policy.
Washington, DC
Joined March 2013
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Since 2023, 19 states have introduced more than three dozen menopause-related bills, and nine have since become law. Read ERIC's newest blog post, co-authored by Dr. Sarah Berg, founder of Selfority, and ERIC's Dillon Clair on the topic. bit.ly/4i88gwd
ERIC asked the Supreme Court to review the Sixth Circuit’s pension ruling in FedEx Corp. v. Watt. The court added a reasonableness test Congress never wrote. More than 20,000 plans with about $4.3 trillion in liabilities are at risk. bit.ly/3U9jtU8
More than 9 in 10 voters favor requiring hospitals to fully disclose the prices they charge before providing care, according to a new poll from the @AFFHPCoalition. With transparent pricing information, employers can design more affordable coverage. bit.ly/4ithSlg
ERIC and a coalition of employer and retirement groups filed an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit in Estay v. Ochsner Clinic. Treasury has long permitted using 401(k) forfeitures to fund employer matches, and the dismissal should stand. bit.ly/4Be7NAb
ERISA Industry Cmte. retweeted
A STAT investigation found that several nonprofits are raking in massive sums by acting as arbitrators in a program that helps protect patients from surprise medical bills. trib.al/3F2E5uT
ERIC’s James Gelfand on @Marketplace: No Surprises Act arbitration costs are so unpredictable that employers can’t plan. San Antonio is $40M over budget, and NY’s state employee plan is raising premiums 10%. It’s time to fix the law. bit.ly/3VPCI5w
The No Surprises Act was meant to reign in on surprise medical bills for patients, but the arbitration process is ultimately costing consumers and taxpayers. Learn more about how the NSA arbitration system is contributing to the health care affordability crisis.👇
Congress passed the “No Surprises Act” in 2020 to protect patients from surprise bills — but the legislation meant to rein in those costs has created another expensive problem.
A loophole has allowed doctors and private equity firms to rake in “many multiples of what a fair, typical in-network rate would be,” Leland Robbins, who works at data transparency startup Turquoise Health, told CBS News’ Anna Schecter.
And as Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone, the lead sponsor of the bill in Congress, plans to introduce legislation to overhaul the system, consumers could still see the impacts of the loophole during open enrollment, Robbins said.
Beginning in 2027, the Saver's Match puts up to $1,000 from Treasury into eligible workers' retirement accounts. ERIC told the IRS the simplest route into a 401(k) is a standard rollover. No new tracking systems. No employee data sent to the government. bit.ly/4hvV5VJ
"For too long the prices have been hidden or buried." – ERIC's James Gelfand on the final Transparency in Coverage rule, which makes health care price data usable so employers can compare costs and negotiate harder. bit.ly/47B6H3K #PriceTransparency
ERIC filed an amicus brief asking the Fifth Circuit to let BCBS of Texas bring its No Surprises Act arbitration abuse claims against HaloMD to court. Regulators expected about 22,000 disputes a year. In 2025, roughly 2.6 million were filed. bit.ly/4hDCciu
Many employers want to fund Trump accounts for workers' kids. ERIC urged Treasury and IRS to create one central place to send contributions and verify accounts, plus first-year relief for employers. bit.ly/3T9IRIZ #TrumpAccounts
ERIC urges the Ninth Circuit to uphold dismissal of Hernandez v. AT&T, a suit over how AT&T used forfeited 401(k) funds. "The district court got it right. So should the appellate court." Doug Hinson, ERIC Legal Center. bit.ly/4yRviNd
ERIC and partners urge DOL to finalize default e-delivery for health plan communications and extend it to all ERISA welfare plans. James Gelfand: the proposal "takes the important step of modernizing outdated regulations." Read press release here: bit.ly/4rpmP1v
NEW: IDR arbitration costs under the No Surprises Act are exploding, and self-funded employers, not insurers, are footing the bill. One employer's payments: $3.5M (2025) on pace for $12M+ in 2026.
Read the press release here: bit.ly/4yMXpNU #NoSurprisesAct
New data: arbitration awards under the No Surprises Act routinely beat market rates, fueling a perverse incentive for providers to stay OUT of network. ERIC is calling on Congress to restore real cost controls. #ERISA #HealthPolicy
@BenefitsPRO reports the NSA IDR system is driving up insurers’ and health plans’ spending on eligible claims, pushing coverage premiums higher, and giving healthcare providers who use the IDR system an incentive to leave health plan networks. bit.ly/4ywyKgi
Paragon Institute's new report found that the total No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution (IDR) dispute initiations reached 2.56 million in 2025—115 times the government’s initial projection. Read the findings. bit.ly/4yHQ6XL
Big Pharma uses patent thickets & product hopping to block cheaper generics & biosimilars. New op-ed: James Gelfand (ERIC) & David Marin (PCMA) urge Congress to build on reforms like the ETHIC Act & Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act. bit.ly/4r9Fnm6
ERIC is proud to join 67 leading organizations representing consumers, employers, and workers urging immediate reforms to close NSA IDR loopholes and institute a transparent benchmark payment system.
Read the full letter and proposed solutions. bit.ly/3SX6X9H
ERIC filed an amicus brief urging the 8th Circuit to affirm dismissal of an #ERISA suit against Wells Fargo's health plan. Plaintiffs weren't denied benefits; they just think drug prices could've been lower. That's not a legal injury. bit.ly/4haAHb7