The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), enacted in 1974 to reg
ulate pension and health benefit plans, is a complex statute that dominates
the managed care environment. Physicians must understand ERISA's role in t
he relationship between themselves and managed care organizations (MCOs), i
ncluding how it can influence clinical decision making and physician autono
my.
This article describes ERISA's central provisions and how ERISA influences
health care delivery in MCOs, We analyze ERISA litigation trends in 4 areas
: professional liability, utilization management, state legislative initiat
ives, and compensation arrangements. This analysis demonstrates how courts
have interpreted ERISA to limit physician autonomy and subordinate clinical
decision making to MCOs' cost containment decisions. Physicians should sup
port efforts to amend ERISA, thus allowing greater state regulatory oversig
ht of MCOs and permitting courts to hold MCOs accountable for their role in
medical decision making.