Our Mission
How Council Advocacy Works
The American Benefits Council is a Washington D.C.-based employee benefits public policy organization advocating for employers that are dedicated to the achievement of best-in-class solutions that protect and encourage the health and financial well-being of their workers, retirees and families.
The Council works closely with Congress, the White House, executive branch agencies and the courts to champion legislation, regulation and legal rulings favorable to our members' needs, to support the provision of valuable health and retirement benefits to many millions of American workers and their families, and to defend the employer-sponsored benefits system from proposals that would add burdens, liabilities and costs.
Beyond U.S. policy, we actively engage in global benefits issues on behalf of our multi-national companies, helping members navigate international regulations compliance, share best practices and provides advocate for sound policy through our network of global partner organizations.
The Council is committed to both broad-based policy advocacy, as well as specialized assistance to member companies. We are a technical resource on benefits issues for lawmakers, the media and other industry trade associations. The Council frequently collaborates with other public policy organizations to develop and communicate a collective business community position on benefits proposals.
Our History
Founded in 1967 as the Association of Private Pension and Welfare Plans (APPWP), the Council was created to help employee benefits professionals share knowledge about legislation and regulations. All the major benefit consulting firms of the time (and other key players in the service provider sector and several major plan sponsors) were our founders. Originally there was also a significant union/multi-employer component to the membership.
The enactment of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) drove members to realize the need for a Washington, D.C.-based trade association to advocate before Congress and the federal regulatory agencies. By 1978, we formally transitioned into a trade association focused on the management perspective, leading to a shift in our membership composition.
In 2000, we rebranded as the American Benefits Council, complete with new logo and corporate identity. Today, while lobbying at the federal level remains our main focus, we are increasingly engaged in global employee benefits matters relating to multinational companies as well as state-based issues such as paid leave laws, initiatives for private sector retirement plans and state and local actions related to health plans.
In 2017, the Council celebrated its 50th anniversary with a yearlong observance of the importance of employee benefits to American families, businesses and the economy at large. And in 2025, the Council adopted a refreshed logo, with green symbolizing growth and sustainability and the blue-green logo representing our ongoing mission to shape the world of employee benefits.
For more on the Council’s history, see REFLECTIONS: Looking Back on a Half-Century of Employee Benefits.
