2012 Issue Briefs

2012 Health Confidence Survey: What if Congress decides to start taxing workers’ health benefits as a means to raise revenue as part of an effort to rein in the federal deficit? More than half of American workers would either switch to a less costly plan, shop around, or drop coverage, according to new research from EBRI. Press release.

Employee Tenure: Americans who have jobs are staying in them longer as overall job tenure in the United States ticked up in 2012, but U.S. job tenure is still shorter than many assume. The median (mid-point) length of time on the job for American workers in 2012 is just 5.4 years, according to new research from EBRI. Press release.

EBRI Notes Dec 20, 2012 24 pages

401(k) savers continued to seek diversified portfolios in 2011, with 61 percent of 401(k) participants’ assets invested in equity securities and 34 percent in fixed-income securities, on average, according to the annual update of a joint study released today by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and the Investment Company Institute (ICI). EBRI Issue Brief Dec 20, 2012 56 pages

Adults in a consumer-driven health plan (CDHP) were more likely than those in a traditional plan to exhibit a number of cost-conscious behaviors, according to new research from EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Dec 18, 2012 28 pages

Self-Insured Health Plans: Large private-sector employers are driving a trend toward more “self-insured” health plans, according to a new report by EBRI.

Retirement Readiness: Among those who are likely to miss their retirement savings goal, how many will be close? And how many will miss it by a mile? According to a new report by EBRI, nearly half of Generation X households will have enough to cover basic retirement costs, and about a third will fall short—but not by much. About 20 percent are likely to be far off-target.

EBRI Notes Nov 29, 2012 24 pages

As the economy slowly recovered from the recent recession, American workers’ participation in employment-based retirement plans stabilized, according to a new report by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Nov 27, 2012 44 pages

Health savings: Projections for how much elderly Americans need to save for out-of-pocket health care in retirement have edged lower, due to a provision the federal health reform law that will cover more of their prescription drug costs, according to a new report by EBRI. Press release.

IRAs: The investment allocation of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) varies by a variety of factors, but the asset allocation differences between genders was minimal, according to a new report by EBRI. Press release.

EBRI Notes Oct 25, 2012 24 pages

A growing number of workers are realizing they will not get retiree health care from their employer after they stop working, according to a new report by EBRI. While earlier research found little impact from reductions in coverage on current retirees, EBRI finds that initial changes employers made to retiree health benefits affected future retirees as opposed to then-current retirees. Over time, more and more retirees have “aged into” those program changes, resulting in the greater impact found in more recent studies. EBRI Issue Brief Oct 23, 2012 24 pages

The uninsured rate for working-age Americans ticked down in 2011, but only because public program coverage grew faster than employment-based health insurance coverage declined, according to a new report by EBRI. While employment-based health coverage is still the dominant source of health insurance in the United States, it has been steadily shrinking since 2000. EBRI Issue Brief Sep 27, 2012 36 pages

Although fewer American families are participating in a retirement plan at work, more of those with a plan are in a 401(k). At the same time, ownership of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) is falling, according to a new report by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Sep 26, 2012 28 pages

Health Confidence Survey: The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) appears to have have had little impact on Americans' confidence about their health care, according to a new report by EBRI.

401(k) Contributions: Setting a higher starting point for 401(k) contributions would make a significant difference in improving workers’ likelihood of a financially viable retirement, according to new research by EBRI.

EBRI Notes Sep 25, 2012 24 pages

Health Care Satisfaction: Satisfaction levels are rising among people enrolled in “consumer-driven” health plans, while they are declining among those in traditional health plans, according to a new report by EBRI. Dissatisfaction with out-of-pocket costs may be driving overall satisfaction trends.

Working to 70?: Contrary to some reports that working just a little bit longer—to age 70—will allow between 80 and 90 percent of households to have adequate income in retirement, new research by EBRI shows that for approximately one-third of the households between the ages of 30 and 59 in 2007 that won’t be enough.

EBRI Notes Aug 30, 2012 24 pages

Workers routinely rank their employment-based health coverage as the most important benefit they receive, followed by a retirement plan—but the tax preferences that support them are drawing increased scrutiny. Drawing from presentations at EBRI’s 70th biannual policy forum, this Issue Brief examines the implications, costs, and consequences of changes to federal tax preferences for private-sector employment-based benefits. EBRI Issue Brief Aug 28, 2012 24 pages

Federal health care reform legislation and the desire of employers to limit their health insurance costs are likely to fuel interest in so-called “defined contribution” health benefits and private health insurance exchanges, according to a new report by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Jul 19, 2012 24 pages

Own-to-Rent: Home ownership peaks at age 65, then falls slowly until the age of 75, when the rate of home ownership declines steadily, according to a new report by EBRI. Death of a spouse is the most common factor associated with a housing transition. Press release.

Plan Choice: Federal health care reform legislation and the desire of employers to limit their health insurance costs are likely to fuel interest in so-called “defined contribution” health benefits and private health insurance exchanges, according to a new report by EBRI. Press release.

EBRI Notes Jul 18, 2012 24 pages

Access Issues by Type of Health Plan: Many American have difficulty getting access to health care services regardless of their type of health plan, according to a new report by EBRI.

Impact of Eligibility for Participation in a 401(k) Plan: Eligibility for participation in a workplace 401(k) savings plan is one of the single-most important factors in closing the retirement savings gap for Generation X, according to a new report by EBRI.

EBRI Notes Jun 14, 2012 24 pages

As more American senior citizens are entering nursing homes they face the likelihood that their household wealth will be quickly depleted, according to new research by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Jun 12, 2012 20 pages

The average IRA balance is about a third higher and the median (mid-point) balance is almost 42 percent larger when multiple individual retirement accounts (IRAs) owned by an individual are taken into account, according to a new report by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief May 30, 2012 20 pages

Retirement Income Adequacy: Roughly 44 percent of Baby Boomers and Generation Xers are projected to lack adequate retirement income to cover basic expenses and uninsured health care costs, according to the latest estimates by EBRI.

Employment-based Coverage: A new report by EBRI, which looks at month-by-month health coverage rates before, during, and after the recession, finds that a brief uptick in employment-based coverage immediately after the recession has not endured: The percentage of workers with employment-based health coverage continues to shrink.

EBRI Notes May 23, 2012 20 pages

Consumer-driven Health Plans: Those enrolled in “consumer-driven” health plans tend to have higher incomes, higher educational levels, and report better health behavior than do those in traditional health plans, according to a new report by EBRI that examines trends over the 2005–2011 period. Press release.

Elderly Poverty Rates: Between 2005–2009, the rate of poverty among American seniors rose as they aged, as did the number of new entrants into poverty, according to a new report by EBRI. Poverty rates fell in the first half of the last decade for almost all age groups of older Americans (age 50 or older), though they increased since 2005 for every age group. Press release.

EBRI Notes Apr 26, 2012 20 pages

Most Americans get their health coverage through their jobs, but new research from EBRI shows that fewer workers have access to this benefit. EBRI Issue Brief Apr 24, 2012 36 pages