Church Plans at the Supreme Court: Employee Benefit Plans of Church-Affiliated Healthcare Organizations May Still Qualify as Church Plans Under ERISA

In Advocate Health Care Network v. Stapleton,¹ the Supreme Court unanimously² upheld the ability of certain church-affiliated organizations, including church-affiliated nonprofit healthcare organizations, to sponsor employee benefit plans that are “church plans” within the meaning of Section 3(33) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).