Opinion ID: 2994487
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: a plan, fund, or program, (2) established or

Text: maintained, (3) by an employer or by an employee organization, or by both, (4) for the purpose of providing medical, surgical, hospital care, sickness, accident, disability, death, unemployment or vacation benefits, apprenticeship or other training programs, day care centers, scholarship funds, prepaid legal services or severance benefits, (5) to participants or their beneficiaries. Ed Miniat, Inc. v. Globe Life Ins. Group, Inc., 805 F.2d 732, 738 (7th Cir. 1986). According to the district court, the parties here dispute only whether the plan was established or maintained by an employer. R.52 at 8. An employer establishes or maintains a plan if it enters a contract with the insurer and pays its employees’ premiums. See Brundage- Peterson v. Compcare Health Serv. Ins. Corp., 877 F.2d 509, 511 (7th Cir. 1989). To help determine whether an insurance plan falls under ERISA, the Department of Labor’s regulations, through a safe harbor provision, provide a guideline for when a plan does not fall under ERISA. The regulation that Ms. Postma claims is applicable to her case is the following: (j) Certain group or group-type insurance programs. For purposes of Title I of the Act and this chapter, the terms employee welfare benefit plan and welfare plan shall not include a group or group-type insurance program offered by an insurer to employees or members of an employee organization, under which (1) No contributions are made by an employer or employee organization;