Issue Briefs

For new retirees wanting to ensure they don’t run short of money in retirement, two products offer a source of guaranteed lifetime income: immediate annuities (which immediately begin to generate lifetime income) and longevity annuities (which delay payments until the retiree hits an advanced age, such as 80 or 85). New research by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) finds that, generally, either type would be effective at reaching desired income adequacy targets—especially for lower-income retirees. EBRI Issue Brief May 18, 2011 36 pages

In yet another measure of damage from the recent economic recession, new data from EBRI show that 2009 marked both the sharpest one-year decline in employment-based health coverage for working-age Americans, and also the first time in recent history that less than 60 percent of individuals under age 65 had health benefits through their job. EBRI Issue Brief Apr 27, 2011 20 pages

Health Benefits: The future of employment-based health programs in the wake of the 2010 November election and the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was just one of the topics addressed by human resource and health policy experts at EBRI’s 67th Fall policy forum last December.

Future Eligibility in DC Plans: New research from the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) shows that being eligible to participate in a defined contribution retirement plan at work is a key factor in whether workers will have enough money to afford basic expenses and cover uninsured medical care in retirement.

EBRI Notes Apr 21, 2011 20 pages

Retirement Plan Tax Treatment: New research by EBRI finds that lower-income workers are more likely than upper-income workers to say they would reduce their savings if the tax exclusion for employee contributions to retirement savings plans was lowered or eliminated.

Account-based Health Plans: Contributions from employers to workers’ account-based health plans declined for the second year in a row in 2010, according to new findings by EBRI. However, workers with employee-only coverage responded to the decrease from employers by increasing their own personal contributions; workers with family coverage did not increase their contributions.

EBRI Notes Mar 24, 2011 20 pages

In a sign that Americans are recognizing the realities they face about their chances for a comfortable retirement, the 2011 Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) finds workers are more pessimistic than at any time in the two decades the RCS has been conducted: More than a quarter (27 percent) of workers now say they are “not at all confident” about retirement, up 5 percentage points from the level measured just one year ago. Reinforcing that trend, the percentage of workers saying they are “very confident” of a comfortable retirement ties with 2009 at 13 percent—the lowest rate ever measured by the RCS. EBRI Issue Brief Mar 15, 2011 40 pages

Women, younger individuals, and individuals who experienced an increase in either premiums or cost sharing are more likely to seek information on health care costs, quality, and access in order to make informed decisions, according to new findings by EBRI. Additionally, people with a higher level of education are also more likely than those with less education to research information. Press release Labor Force Participation: Elderly workers increasingly are participating in the labor force. Press Release EBRI Notes Feb 15, 2011 20 pages

Depending largely on age and income, between 4–14 percent of Americans who otherwise would have had adequate income to cover basic expenses in retirement became “at risk” of running short because of the housing and financial crisis of 2008–2009, according to a new report by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Feb 1, 2011 28 pages

Reactions to Health Reform: New findings by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) show that both employers and workers say they are not very knowledgeable about health reform, but that employers say they are likely to pass along any health benefit cost increases to workers—and, mostly, workers are expecting such cost increases. Press release.  Self-Reported DB Accrual Rates: Data comparisons suggest respondents overestimated their expected pension benefits at retirement. Despite the likely measurement error, young DB plan participants reported having less generous benefit formulas than older participants.   EBRI Notes Jan 24, 2011 16 pages

The number of health savings accounts (HSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) increased to 5.7 million in 2010, according to a new report by EBRI. Assets in these account-based health plans increased to $7.7 billion in 2010. EBRI Issue Brief Jan 11, 2011 28 pages

Employee Tenure: The median length of time that full-time workers stay in their jobs ticked up slightly in 2010, to just over five years, continuing a slow increase in job tenure that began in 2004, according to a new report by EBRI. Press release  Financial Incentives: The percentage of people who think getting a financial incentive would be extremely or very useful for choosing a more effective treatment, or who had an interest in using high-quality provider networks that offer lower cost sharing, dropped in 2010, according to EBRI’s Health Confidence Survey. Press release. EBRI Notes Dec 13, 2010 20 pages