ERISA (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974) is the federal law that governs most private employer-sponsored benefit plans, including health coverage. For GLP-1 access, its most important feature is preemption: ERISA generally overrides state insurance laws for self-funded employer plans, so a state mandate requiring coverage of obesity medications usually does not apply if your employer pays its own claims. Fully-insured plans and government plans follow different rules.
ERISA also sets the procedural rights you have when a claim is denied — a written explanation, a full and fair internal appeal, and access to the plan documents that spell out what is and isn't covered. Knowing whether your plan is an ERISA self-funded plan tells you both where to push (the employer) and which appeal rules apply; see how employer self-funded plans decide GLP-1 coverage and escalation paths beyond your insurer.