ERISA Watch with Elizabeth Hopkins

Julie Fisher
ERISA Watch with Elizabeth Hopkins

ERISA stands for the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and governs most of our employee benefits. While this area of law may not seem as engrossing as other areas of law such as criminal law, the impact labor laws have on our lives are just as compelling and the stakes are just as high. ERISA law blankets areas such as mental health, long-term disability, retirement accounts, life insurance, and more. ERISA watch will tell stories of individuals whose lives have been dramatically affected and show why ERISA law matters.  Elizabeth Hopkins is a partner at Kantor & Kantor LLP and leads their Retirement Benefits team,  is a highly regarded lawyer on ERISA class action lawsuits and is an expert analyst with Law360.  Enjoy hearing Elizabeth and her guests dig deep and discuss the behind-the-scenes stories on these important cases.   Real talk about real legal cases!

Episodes

  1. 03/04/2022

    Paying the Price

    On this month’s episode our host Elizabeth Hopkins interviews Ed, a father whose daughter struggled with an eating disorder when she was a teenager over a decade ago. The family had to take out a second mortgage on their home in order to pay for life-saving treatment at a residential facility after their healthcare plan insurer refused to pay and they could obtain no help from the state agency tasked with regulating health insurance. A lot has changed since that time. But more remains t...

    19 min

  2. 02/04/2022

    A Tribute to Karen

    This month’s episode is dedicated to Karen Ferguson, founder of the Pension Rights Center. The Pension Rights Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with their pension-related issues and advocating on their behalf. Our host, Elizabeth Hopkins, talks to Karen’s colleague, Norm Stein, about the Pension Rights Center and Karen’s legacy. To find out more about the Pension Rights Center and how you can help, click the link below. https://www.pensionrights.org/

    27 min

  3. 12/03/2021

    The Vig

    On this special ERISA Watch episode, our host Elizabeth Hopkins examines the upcoming Supreme Court argument in the Hughes v. Northwestern University case, which will be held on Monday December 6, 2021. In Hughes, participants in a defined-contribution retirement plan allege the plan paid too much in fees for the investments offered, but the lower courts dismissed without even considering the merits of the case. Elizabeth speaks to Former Assistant Secretary of Labor, Phyllis Borzi, abou...

    23 min

  4. 11/05/2021

    Stigma and Substance Use Disorder

    On this month’s episode, our host Elizabeth Hopkins shines a spotlight on America’s other pandemic, the opioid crisis. Even beyond the tens of thousands of deaths annually, the true effect of this wide-reaching crisis stretches far beyond calculable figures. The multifaceted problem of addiction can only be addressed when we begin with increasing empathy and rejecting the impulse to stigmatize. Elizabeth has a conversation with her colleague Elizabeth Green, and with Elizabeth’s client, ...

    22 min

  5. 10/01/2021

    The Aftermath

    In this special episode, host Elizabeth Hopkins acknowledges the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001. This episode is also a check in on how well Congress is living up to its promises to more than 24,000 first responders and heroes. Introduced in 2006 and finally signed into law on January 2, 2011, the World Trade Center Health Program was designed to provide for the physical and mental healthcare for first responders. It should come as no surprise that the program was out...

    29 min

  6. 08/06/2021

    Treating to Recovery

    In our 6th episode of ERISA Watch, our host Elizabeth Hopkins discusses one of the things that attracted her about the idea of coming to Kantor & Kantor after a very fulfilling time at the US Department of Labor. Liz appreciated the way the firm helps individuals and their families navigate getting the proper treatment they are promised from their employers through the insurance companies. Specifically, those living with eating disorders. Despite the existence of the Mental Health Pa...

    30 min

  7. 07/02/2021

    Independence

    In a special 4th of July episode, host Elizabeth Hopkins takes some time to share her thoughts about freedom, equality and labor & employment law.Since July celebrates the day the draft of the Declaration of Independence was completed, Elizabeth took some time to re-read the document, which she calls one of the best breakup documents of all time, "full of hard truths and great one-liners."Upon reflection, Elizabeth asks if we are truly free. Can we truly pursue happiness if we are beholde...

    7 min

  8. 06/04/2021

    Trust Me

    This this episode of ERISA Watch, host Elizabeth Hopkins asks if insurance companies live up to the promise instilled through ERISA, or do they take advantage of the peculiarities of trust law to avoid paying benefits.In a short origin story of the concept of trust, courts of equity, and chancery law, Elizabeth tells how the federal law of ERISA grew out of these historical and societal concepts.To illustrate how these concepts that are governed by ERISA and state laws, Elizabeth has a conver...

    30 min

  9. 05/07/2021

    The Cutting Edge

    Here in the United States we have some of the best surgeons, specialists, and some of the best, most innovative treatments in the world. But when the company that runs your health plan refuses to authorize these treatments, what does this mean for the very progress of medicine in this country?In this episode of ERISA Watch, host Elizabeth Hopkins speaks with Aaron Monheim, a 34 year old husband and father of a three year old daughter. Aaron lives with Relapsing- remitting Multiple Sclero...

    24 min

  10. 04/02/2021

    The Mental Health Parity Paradox

    In this episode of ERISA Watch, host Elizabeth Hopkins asks: "When did modern Western medicine decide that mental health was something altogether different than health pertaining to anywhere else in the body?"First Liz speaks with Dr. Joshua Warach, MD, a Neurologist from the Veteran's Administration about their ongoing effort to treat the veterans as holistically as possible, and to de-stigmatize mental health issues. Should the V.A. be a model for commercial healthcare systems?In the area o...

    25 min

  11. 03/05/2021

    Uncovered in the Gig Economy

    This premiere episode of ERISA Watch, host Elizabeth Hopkins discusses a real life example of how the federal law of ERISA works in the context of today's employee healthcare benefit environment. Elizabeth does this through a conversation with two clients, union members from the entertainment industry. These men lost access to their healthcare benefits through language and rules with their plans that are quirky at best. Listen to episode one to learn more about ERISA and to r...

    28 min

  12. SEASON 1 TRAILER

    ERISA Watch - Trailer

    ERISA stands for the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and governs most of our employee benefits. While this area of law may not seem as engrossing as other areas of law such as criminal law, the impact labor laws have on our lives are just as compelling and the stakes are just as high. This law blankets areas such as mental health, eating disorders, our retirement accounts, life insurance, and more. Erisa watch will tell stories of individuals whose lives have been dramatically...

    1 min

Trailer

4.8
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

ERISA stands for the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and governs most of our employee benefits. While this area of law may not seem as engrossing as other areas of law such as criminal law, the impact labor laws have on our lives are just as compelling and the stakes are just as high. ERISA law blankets areas such as mental health, long-term disability, retirement accounts, life insurance, and more. ERISA watch will tell stories of individuals whose lives have been dramatically affected and show why ERISA law matters.  Elizabeth Hopkins is a partner at Kantor & Kantor LLP and leads their Retirement Benefits team,  is a highly regarded lawyer on ERISA class action lawsuits and is an expert analyst with Law360.  Enjoy hearing Elizabeth and her guests dig deep and discuss the behind-the-scenes stories on these important cases.   Real talk about real legal cases!

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