Self-Insured: Will small businesses follow the lead of bigger firms and start self-insuring their medical benefits to avoid the costs of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)? So far (up to 2013, the latest data available), there is no evidence that they are doing so, according to new research by EBRI.
Auto-IRAs: If “automatic IRAs” (individual retirement accounts) were made universal, how significant could their impact be for increasing retirement readiness and reducing the national retirement savings deficit? That depends largely on age, the default contribution rate and the opt-out rate (the percentage of eligible employees who choose not to participate), according to new research by EBRI.
CDHPs: People of have so-called “consumer-driven” and high-deductible health plans tend to be older, more educated, and with higher incomes than those with traditional health plans, according to new research from EBRI. Press release.
Income Measures: A new analysis by EBRI shows that the new questions being used to measure income in the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey found a significant amount of income from IRAs and 401(k)-type plans was being missed across all levels of income for Americans age 65 or older. Press release.
End-of-Life Finances: New research by EBRI shows that a large percentage of individuals who died recently had little or no assets. Those who died relatively younger were even more likely to be in this situation. Press release.
Big Data: Since “big data” is changing so many aspects of the business world, how is it affecting the way health and retirement benefits are provided to private-sector workers? At a recent policy forum sponsored by EBRI, several national experts described how employers and researchers are making a major commitment to capturing and analyzing the vast amount of health and retirement data in their benefits plans. Press release.
Savings needs: How much do workers need to have saved for retirement at different ages? And based on their age and income, how much needs to be contributed to their defined contribution plan to ensure a financially successful retirement? New research from EBRI helps answer these important questions.
Health account contributions: Both employers and workers decreased their contributions to health savings accounts (HSAs) last year, according to new research from EBRI.
Tenure Trends: American workers are continuing to stay a bit longer in their jobs, according to new data from EBRI. The overall median tenure of workers—the midpoint of wage and salary workers’ length of employment in their current jobs—was slightly higher in 2014, at 5.5 years, compared with 5.0 years in 1983. Press release.
Views on Health Benefits: Most workers are satisfied with the health benefits they have now, but nearly one-third express interest in changing the current mix of benefits and wages offered by their employers, according to the latest findings from EBRI. Press release.
HSAs: Who contributes the maximum amount to their health savings accounts (HSAs)? New research by EBRI finds that about 15 percent of HSA owners contributed the maximum amount possible in 2013. Press release.
Debt: A larger share of older American families had debt in 2013, and those with debt loads that are considered problematic also increased, according to a new report from EBRI. Press release.
