2017 Issue Briefs
What Does Consistent Participation in 401(k) Plans Generate? Changes in 401(k) Plan Account Balances, 2010–2015
This Issue Brief provides an annual update of a longitudinal analysis of 401(k) plan participants drawn from the EBRI/ICI 401(k) database—the largest participant-level database of its kind, with about 26.1 million 401(k) participants at year-end 2015. The average 401(k) plan account balance for consistent participants rose each year from 2010 through year-end 2015. Overall, the average account balance increased at a compound annual average growth rate of 13.9 percent from 2010 to 2015, to $143,436 at year-end 2015. The median 401(k) plan account balance for consistent participants increased at a compound annual average growth rate of 17.9 percent over the period, to $66,412 at year-end 2015.
Health Savings Account Balances, Contributions, Distributions, and Other Vital Statistics, 2016: Statistics from the EBRI HSA Database
The vast majority of health savings account (HSA) owners rolled over money at the end of last year, retaining HSA funds to cover future health expenses, according to new findings by EBRI.
Employee Tenure Trends, 1983–2016
The typical American worker stayed at their job just over five years last year, down slightly from the record high since 1983 set in 2014, according to new research by EBRI.
After Years of Erosion, Mid-size and Some Small Employers Added Health Coverage in 2016
Despite predictions the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) would cause private-sector employers to stop offering health coverage to their workers, the national “offer rate” is ticking up—possibly because of a healthy economy and low unemployment rates, according to new research by EBRI.
401(k) Plan Asset Allocation, Account Balances, and Loan Activity in 2015
The asset allocations of 401(k) retirement plan savers in their 20s at the end of 2015 differed significantly from the allocations of 401(k) participants in their 20s in the mid-1990s, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and the Investment Company Institute (ICI).
The Impact of Offering Free Coverage on Enrollment Choice and Risk Selection in an HSA-eligible Health Plan
For employers looking to drive more workers to sign up for HSA-eligible health plans, one of the biggest financial incentives they can offer is to reduce or even eliminate the annual premiums, according to new findings by EBRI.
Trends in Health Savings Account Balances, Contributions, Distributions, and Investments, 2011-2016: Statistics from the EBRI HSA Database
The first-ever analysis of how health savings accounts (HSAs) are being used over time shows that most account owners use them more as specialized checking accounts rather than investment vehicles, according to new research by EBRI.
Consumer Engagement in Health Care: Findings from the 2016 EBRI/Greenwald & Associates Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey
So-called “consumer-driven” health plans with high deductibles are continuing to gain market share in the United States, and are having the intended effect of making people more involved in their own health care, according to new findings by EBRI.
Importance of Individual Account Retirement Plans and Home Equity in Family Total Wealth
Home equity and retirement accounts—401(k)-type plans and IRAs—account for nearly all the assets that many families have to depend on in retirement outside of Social Security and traditional pension plans, according to new research from EBRI. Press release.
Consumer Engagement in Health Care and Choice of Health Plan: Differences Among Millennials, Baby Boomers, and Generation X Have Implications for Plan Sponsors
There are major differences between younger millennial workers and their older Gen X and baby boomer colleagues when it comes to how they view and use health benefits, according to a new analysis by EBRI. Press release.
Value of Workplace Benefits: Findings from the 2016 Health and Voluntary Workplace Benefits Survey
Even though American workers are evenly split in their satisfaction levels with employer-provided benefits, the latest “value of benefits” by EBRI continues to find that companies offering benefits have a competitive advantage over those that do not. Press release.
Health Plan Switching: A Case Study--Implications for Private- and Public-Health-Insurance Exchanges and Increased Health Plan Choice
When workers are offered more than one health plan, who switches their plans, and does it lead to adverse selection, causing healthy workers to leave certain health plans saddled with only high-cost sick workers? Evidence suggests it’s mostly younger workers or higher-income workers without family coverage who switch?which does indeed raise the risk of adverse selection, according to a new analysis by EBRI.
The 2017 Retirement Confidence Survey: Many Workers Lack Retirement Confidence and Feel Stressed About Retirement Preparations
Many American workers today are feeling stressed about retirement and are not taking steps to prepare for it. And those feeling stressed have lower levels of retirement confidence and are less likely to feel financially secure, according to the 2017 Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) by EBRI and Greenwald & Associates.
Retirement Policy Directions in 2017 and Beyond
With a new Congress and a new president in Washington, how are U.S. retirement policies likely to change? Possibly quite radically, and for two main reasons: First, because of the new majority’s plans to overhaul the entire U.S. tax structure and federal budget in ways that could fundamentally change how private-sector retirement plans are treated in the tax code. And second, because of the drive to simplify and lower income tax rates, tax-favored retirement provisions in the tax code are vulnerable. This article summarizes discussion of these issues at EBRI’s 79th policy forum in Washington last December. Press release.
Health Experts Consider a Post-ACA World
Under President Trump, how, exactly, is the Affordable Care Act (ACA) likely to change, and how will this fundamental policy shift affect the U.S. health care and health insurance systems? The short answer, as the new administration was taking shape: Nobody knows. But whether it’s a “repeal and replace,” as many congressional Republicans have advocated ever since the law was enacted in 2010, or “repeal and delay” or “partial repeal” or “repair” (as some are now suggesting) or just “repeal,” it seems certain that change is on the way. This article summarizes discussion of these issues by a panel of experts at EBRI’s 79th policy forum held in Washington last December, and attended by more than a hundred people. Press release.
Geographic Variation in Spending Among Older American Households
Most discussion about retirement preparation revolves around national averages, but a lot could actually depend on where you live in retirement. A new study by EBRI finds large variations in spending by older households across the country. Press release.
How Does the Level of Household Savings Affect Preference for Immediate Annuities?
Which groups of people prefer immediate annuities? A new analysis by EBRI finds that it’s those at the lowest and highest ends of the wealth spectrum, because those with inadequate assets might value a regular stream of income very highly and those with the most might expect to live longer and can also afford it even after leaving a bequest.
Savings Medicare Beneficiaries Need for Health Expenses: Some Couples Could Need as Much as $350,000 in 2016
Projected savings targets needed to cover health care in retirement went up last year after several years of decline, but are still generally lower than they were five years ago, according to new research by EBRI.
