In March, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Coverage Initiatives (SCI) program and the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) co-hosted an inter-active cyber seminar on ERISA and its implications for state health care access initiatives. The program featured noted national ERISA expert Patricia Butler, J.D., Dr.P.H., who covered a diverse range of issues including ERISA pre-emption, pay or play models and insurance regulation. She ended the seminar by making the point that, while ERISA clearly prohibits certain activities and clearly allows others, there are many grey areas within which states can maneuver. She encouraged states not to let the perceived threat of ERISA preemption block innovative ideas to expand health care access.
The complete archived seminar is available online.
