Issue Briefs

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. EBRI Notes Jan 31, 2017 12 pages

Most owners of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) do not contribute to them every year—but more than half of those who contribute put in the maximum amount allowed by law, according to the most recent analysis of the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s unique IRA Database. EBRI Issue Brief Jan 17, 2017 32 pages

So-called “narrow provider networks,” which limit covered health providers in health plans, do not appear to be crossing over rapidly from the Affordable Care Act’s health exchanges into employment-based health plans, according to a new analysis by EBRI and Mark A. Hall, J.D., Wake Forest University, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Changes in Health Care Financing & Organization (HCFO) Initiative. EBRI Issue Brief Dec 14, 2016 20 pages

Balances in health savings accounts (HSAs) grew by more than a third in 2015, according to the most recent results from the EBRI HSA Database. EBRI Issue Brief Nov 29, 2016 28 pages

The U.S. Census Bureau’s widely used Current Population Survey (CPS), which two years ago underwent a major redesign of the questions pertaining to income, appears to be resulting in a significant undercounting of how many people participate in an employment-based retirement plan, according to a new analysis by EBRI. Press release. EBRI Notes Nov 21, 2016 16 pages

Well over one-half of all workers say they are not satisfied with the U.S. health care system as a whole, but are considerably more positive about their own health plan, according to new research by EBRI. Press release. EBRI Notes Oct 19, 2016 12 pages

The average 401(k) plan account balance of workers who participated consistently in one 401(k) plan increased significantly over the four-year period ending at year-end 2014, according to new data published today by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and the Investment Company Institute (ICI). EBRI Issue Brief Sep 8, 2016 28 pages

Employment-based health insurance is the primary source of health coverage in the United States, and as health plans continue to evolve, health plan sponsors continue to look for ways to get their workers more directly involved in their own health care. To highlight new work on how employers are trying to increase individuals’ involvement in health—and why it’s important—EBRI devoted part of its 78th policy forum in May to the topic of “Innovations in Employee Engagement in Health,” which is summarized in this article. Press release. EBRI Notes Aug 31, 2016 12 pages

Low-income workers who switch to high-deductible health savings accounts (HSAs) plans are more likely than their higher-paid colleagues to avoid certain types of health care, according to new research by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Aug 30, 2016 24 pages

What’s the average balance of an individual retirement account (IRA)? New research by EBRI shows that it matters how you count. For instance, looking just at the balance per account, the average amount was just over $100,000 in 2014, the latest data available. But if you look at the total IRA balance per individual IRA owner, the average amount was almost $127,600—almost a third higher. EBRI Issue Brief Aug 25, 2016 48 pages