Disparate thoughts. Connect the dots. Or maybe more unintended consequences. Take your pick. While many advocates of health care reform cheer the Ninth Circuit’s conclusion that ERISA does not preempt all state pay or play laws, I am a little dubious as to whether this represents anything more than a Pyrrhic victory for anyone actually
Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act
Is ERISA Preemption Coming to the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act?
By Stephen Rosenberg on
You know that theme music from the movie Jaws? Cue it up – the sharks are circling the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act. Hard on the heels of the recent reports that the state is going to have to increase the financial obligations of employers to maintain the near universal coverage called for by the…
Massachusetts’ Pay or Play Act: The Triumph of Hope Over Experience?
By Stephen Rosenberg on
I have said it before and I will say it again: the day they fess up to the real costs of insuring the uninsured in Massachusetts and admit they need to pass that cost onto employers is the day before someone files a lawsuit asserting that the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act is preempted. Take…
Understanding ERISA Preemption as a Legitimate Congressional Policy Determination
By Stephen Rosenberg on
Many, many people object to ERISA preemption, viewing it as some sort of nasty trick that defendants use to avoid liability in ERISA related cases. Do a quick search for ERISA and preemption on Google Blog and you will find that out pretty quick. But to me, they misunderstand preemption, which was a legitimate policy…
Back From Trial, But the World Kept Spinning In the Interim
By Stephen Rosenberg on
My trial finally concluded late yesterday after two weeks, with the jury returning a verdict in favor of my client (pause here for self-congratulatory pat on the back). While I was able to get some posts up last week, during the first week of trial, events during trial this past week left me with no…
Money Talks, Even About the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act
By Stephen Rosenberg on
A number of different things I want to talk about, including an interesting decision discussing the obligations of plan sponsors when it comes to selecting advisors and some interesting thoughts on QDROs. I will sprinkle those in later, but for now I thought I would pass along Steve Bailey of the Boston Globe’s column today…
The Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act as Evidence of the Need for Preemption
By Stephen Rosenberg on
Stories like this make clear that advocates of state fair share plans who like to point to the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act as a shining exemplar of what could be accomplished if only ERISA preemption would go away are barking up the wrong tree. Rather, the article, with its discussion of spiraling costs to…
And Still Another View on Preemption and the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act
By Stephen Rosenberg on
I’ve noted in the past that the problem with state health care reform acts mandating health insurance is that they don’t tackle the issue that is deterring employers from providing broader health insurance benefits, namely the ever increasing and rapidly escalating cost of health insurance. In response, Massachusetts lawyer David Harlow argues on his blog…
Someone Else’s Thoughts On Preemption and the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act
By Stephen Rosenberg on
People with thin skins – or who can’t laugh at themselves – shouldn’t write blogs. I got a good chuckle out of this over my morning coffee this morning.
The Lessons of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act’s $400 Million Shortfall
By Stephen Rosenberg on
There’s a lot to be said about the preemption issues raised by state health insurance mandates and the assumptions that underlie the beliefs of those who argue that ERISA preemption should not be allowed to prevent states from experimenting with acts intended to remedy the problem of the uninsured. Articles like this one here,…