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.
