title: ERISA and hospital charges: granting an inch, not a mile.
abstract: Some claims review services" have cited ERISA as an authority allowing an ERISA plan administrator to reduce a hospital's billed charges based on "the reasonable value of services." However, nothing in ERISA allows a plan administrator to change the terms of a contract between a payer and a provider, or places any limitations on the structure or price of hospital charges.
authors.affiliation: Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld, LLP, Sacramento, Calif, USA. ffedor@murphyaustin.com
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fedor
mesh_terms: D032982:Contracts; D019461:Employee Retirement Income Security Act; D033161:Government Regulation; D017722:Hospital Charges / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States