ERISA is a federal law. It stands for the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. The law was passed in 1974 and effective in 1976. It governs employee benefit plans by private sector employers. This includes benefit plans regarding your retirement benefits, your health insurance benefits through work, your life insurance benefits through work, disability insurance through work, or any other benefit plan your employer may offer. ERISA does not apply, however, to governmental employers.
So if you work for a state, federal, or local government entity, more likely than not, your benefits are not covered by ERISA. There can be certain exceptions, but typically, it only applies to private sector employers. In addition, there’s an exception for people who work for certain religiously affiliated organizations. For example, Catholic Church. If you work for the Catholic Church and are an employee of an archdiocese, for example, your benefits are probably not governed by ERISA.
But for the vast majority of Americans who receive benefits through work, and most Americans receive their health insurance and their retirement benefits through work, those benefits are governed by ERISA.