Lockton Audiocast series ERISA at 50

Lockton Audiocast Series:

An audiocast series conversation about how the landmark legislation has evolved – and where it’s headed.

We’ll cover a lot of ground in this four-part series, including:

  • The original intent of ERISA and how that has evolved over the years.
  • The most crucial aspects of the law that employers should know today.
  • How ERISA plays a role in today’s conversations about fiduciary responsibility.
  • The meaning and vulnerabilities of ERISA preemption over state laws.
  • How the influence of ERISA may expand – or contract – in the new several years.

Listen to Episode 1: ERISA’s Origins and Why it Matters Today

Fifty years after enactment, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) remains the most influential federal law affecting employer-sponsored health and welfare plans. Hear Beth Latchana, Lockton’s Director of Compliance Consulting, explain ERISA’s origins and its current impact on employee benefits in the first episode of this four-part audiocast series.

Listen to Episode 2: Accountability and Transparency

The passage of ERISA introduced transparency and accountability for sponsors of employee benefit plans. But it’s far different today than in 1974. Lockton’s Compliance Consulting Director Beth Latchana discusses how ERISA has evolved, shifting its focus from retirement plans to health and welfare plans.

Listen to Episode 3: The Importance of ERISA Preemption

The overriding preemption of ERISA’s authority over state laws governing health and welfare plans is being challenged like never before. In this discussion with Lockton Compliance Consulting Director Beth Latchana, we examine why some states are pushing legislation that seeks to diminish ERISA’s power in certain parts of employee benefits.

Listen to Episode 4: The Future of ERISA

The most powerful federal law governing employee benefits has grown and expanded over the past 50 years, but its future is uncertain. In this final installment of our four-part series, Beth Latchana and Scott Behrens, Lockton’s Director of Government Relations, discuss future scenarios for ERISA’s influence in the coming years, depending on which party has control of Congress.

For more about ERISA, click here (opens a new window) to visit Lockton’s ERISA Compliance Consulting page.