ABSTRACT
Independent Physician Associations, Physician Hospital Organizations, and Management Services Organizations have an opportunity to change the face of third-party reimbursement contracting as an integrated health delivery system. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) protects the interests of participants and beneficiaries in private-sector employee benefit plans. Governmental plans and church plans generally are not subject to the law. ERISA supersedes state laws relating to employee benefit plans except for certain matters such as state insurance, banking and securities laws, and divorce property settlement orders by state courts. The number of employer-sponsored, ERISA self-funded health benefit plans in the United States that have the option to design benefits to include a health travel option number 201,567. Once an employer has decided to add a domestic or international health travel benefit option to its ERISA self-funded group health benefit plan, it needs to design its benefit option and add the details of its unique program to its Summary Plan Description.
