LAW-2680 Law and Economics of Retirement Plans and Healthcare Benefits
Retirement funds and employer-provided health insurance are important pillars of American society. Over $40 trillion are saved in retirement plans, making them a major source of investment capital; over 150 million Americans, including the majority of Americans under 65, are covered by employer-provided health insurance.This course will examine, among other things, the nature of and differences between defined-benefit and defined-contribution plans, the legal principles governing those plans (with particular focus on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974), the economic forces and legal rules that have shaped the modern 401(k), the risks facing the beneficiaries (employees) and sponsors (employers) of retirement plans, how laws mitigate (or exacerbate) those risks, the reasons and incentives for employer-provided insurance, and the impact of ERISA and other laws on employer-provided insurance. Students should leave the class not only with knowledge of the rules governing these two aspects of Americans’ economic lives, but also an understanding of the justifications (or lack thereof) for those rules.
Offered
Fall Law, Spring Law