Religious Hospital Pension Clash Accepted by U.S. Supreme Court
December 2, 2016 — 1:37 PM EST
By Greg Stohr
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether religious hospitals and schools must abide by the federal rules that govern most private pension plans, taking up an issue at the heart of dozens of lawsuits that seek potentially billions of dollars.
Workers have won a series of federal appeals court decisions opening religious hospital systems to claims that their plans are underfunded. The appeals courts say religious organizations must comply with the law that governs employee benefits and protects retirement plans.
The hospitals say those rulings conflict with the longstanding understanding that religious organizations are exempt from the pension law, just like churches themselves are.
“These suits seek billions in retroactive liability and a wholesale upheaval in the administration of pension plans affecting religious employers and employees across the country,” according to appeals filed by three hospital systems, including Advocate Health Care Network.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-12-02/religious-hospital-pension-clash-accepted-by-u-s-supreme-court
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