Issue Briefs

Reflecting the changing economic landscape, more older workers are staying in the work force, but increasingly in part-time rather than full-time jobs, according to new research released by EBRI. Press release. EBRI Notes Mar 16, 2010 16 pages

Americans’ confidence in their ability to retire appears to be stabilizing, now that the economic volatility of the recession has abated, but their self-described preparations for retirement continue to erode, according to the 2010 Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) released by EBRI and Mathew Greenwald and Associates. However, the RCS also finds that a growing number of American workers are also planning to delay retirement—which has negative implications for the U.S. job market, where unemployment is high and layoffs continue to grow. As older workers stay at their jobs longer, the RCS results suggest that fewer existing jobs are likely to open up. EBRI Issue Brief Mar 9, 2010 44 pages

The labor-force participation rate is increasing for older Americans (those age 55 and older) as older workers are faced with higher health costs and economic losses, according to a new study published by EBRI. Press release EBRI Notes Feb 18, 2010 20 pages

Since the vast majority of Americans who have health coverage get it through their jobs, one obvious question raised by the health reform legislation pending in Congress is: How might it affect the U.S. employment-based health benefits system? At a recent day-long conference sponsored by EBRI, more than a dozen experts from a wide range of specialties found consensus on one point: Imposing a tax on health benefits (such as the proposed tax on so-called “Cadillac” health plans) is likely to cause major cuts in health benefits and might result in structural changes in the employment-based benefits system. EBRI Issue Brief Feb 16, 2010 24 pages

The romantic Ozzie and Harriet-era notion of a worker spending a lifetime with a single employer and then retiring with the proverbial gold watch is just that—a romantic notion. Career jobs never existed for most workers, and still do not, according to a study released today by EBRI. Press release EBRI Notes Jan 7, 2010 20 pages

Health insurance reform legislation pending in Congress would have a mixed impact on retiree health benefits, according to a study published today by EBRI. In the short term, some provisions of the legislation would help bolster early retiree coverage, while in the longer term other provisions could create significant incentives for employers to drop retiree coverage. EBRI Issue Brief Jan 1, 2010 20 pages

Some investors in target-date funds, a rapidly growing option in 401(k) retirement plans, apparently do not understand the purpose of the funds and could end up with a potentially inferior portfolio in terms of risk/return tradeoff, according to a new study by EBRI. Press release EBRI Notes Dec 3, 2009 16 pages

Individuals in consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) are more likely than those with traditional coverage to exhibit a number of cost-conscious behaviors, to be more engaged in wellness programs, and to be more inclined to think that financial incentives matter in holding down costs, according to a new survey by EBRI. At the same time, the fifth annual survey found that satisfaction levels for individuals in traditional health plans were higher again this year than for those in consumer-driven plans. EBRI Issue Brief Dec 1, 2009 44 pages

Participation in employment-based retirement plans decreased by small amounts for most categories of workers in 2008, but those with the strongest connection to the work force experienced the smallest decline: 0.5 percentage point, according to a study released by the EBRI. Additional decreases are possible in 2009–2010, depending on economic trends, the study adds. Press release EBRI Issue Brief Nov 5, 2009 40 pages

Among the roughly 4 percent of covered Americans who have so-called “consumer-driven” health plans, contributions to the plans by their employers are shifting: Workers with employee-only coverage have seen their annual employer contributions decrease, while those with family coverage have seen their annual employer contributions increase, according to a new survey released by EBRI. Press release EBRI Notes Nov 3, 2009 24 pages