Issue Briefs

Proposals to change the tax treatment of health insurance could mean the end of employment-based coverage as it now exists in the United States, according to a study by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). EBRI Issue Brief Sep 14, 2007 28 pages

A U.S. Census Bureau revision of data for 2004 and 2005 caused a small reduction in the overall number of uninsured U.S. residents and slightly modified the demographic and work place composition of the uninsured, according to a study released by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). EBRI Issue Brief May 9, 2007 28 pages

While the overall rate of uninsured Americans has increased in recent years, the percentage of workers offered health insurance and the percentage of workers taking coverage when it was offered have remained relatively steady since the late 1980s, according to a study published by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Mar 1, 2007 24 pages

Enrollment in consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) remains low, satisfaction continues to lag when compared with more comprehensive health insurance, and CDHPs do not appear to be having an impact on reducing the number of people without health insurance, according to this survey by EBRI and The Commonwealth Fund. EBRI Issue Brief Dec 7, 2006 48 pages

The proportion of uninsured working-age Americans rose slightly to 17.9 percent in 2005, and the overall percentage of the population under age 65 with health insurance declined in 2005 to a post-1994 low of 82.1 percent. This Issue Brief provides historic data through 2005 on the number and percentage of nonelderly individuals with and without health insurance. It also discusses trends in coverage for the 1994–2005 period and highlights characteristics that typically indicate whether an individual is insured. EBRI Issue Brief Oct 3, 2006 32 pages

A couple age 65 retiring today and living to average life expectancy would need $295,000 to cover premiums for health insurance and out-of-pocket expenses during retirement, according to a new study& by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). EBRI Issue Brief Jul 20, 2006 32 pages

This Issue Brief examines changes that policymakers are discussing, explores the history of tax laws concerning the tax treatment of health benefits and the cost to the federal government in forgone taxes because of these laws, and examines some the advantages and disadvantages that could result from the proposed changes. EBRI Issue Brief Jun 15, 2006 32 pages

This Issue Brief explores whether an old concept (benefit design) and a newer concept (evidence-based clinical information) can be more explicitly linked in order to better focus care on health improvement, and to discourage services and costs that do not result in improved health. EBRI Issue Brief Feb 16, 2006 16 pages

Americans enrolled in a relatively new type of health coverage designed to make them more cost conscious are less satisfied with their health plan than those with comprehensive health insurance and are less likely to recommend the new plans to a friend or colleague, a ground-breaking nationwide survey. EBRI Issue Brief Dec 8, 2005 32 pages

This Issue Brief provides historic data through 2004 on the number and percentage of nonelderly individuals with and without health insurance. Based on EBRI estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s March 2005 Current Population Survey (CPS), it reflects 2004 data. It also discusses trends in coverage for the 1994–2004 period and highlights characteristics that typically indicate whether an individual is insured. EBRI Issue Brief Nov 7, 2005 32 pages