Issue Briefs

An increasing percentage of retirement plan participants are preserving their retirement assets in tax-qualified accounts, but a significant number are using at least some these assets to pay off debts, start a business, or buy a home, according to a study released today by the EBRI. Press release EBRI Notes Jan 8, 2009 12 pages

More than 7 percent of 401(k) assets at year-end 2007 were invested in lifecycle funds and one-quarter of 401(k) participants held lifecycle funds, according to analysis by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and the Investment Company Institute (ICI). The findings are part of the annual update of the EBRI/ICI 401(k) database, the largest of its kind, and represent the two groups' first application of the database to examine investors' use of lifecycle funds. EBRI Issue Brief Dec 18, 2008 52 pages

This article provides findings from the 2008 EBRI Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey, as well as earlier surveys, examining the availability of HRA and HSA-eligible plans (so-called consumer-driven health plans or CDHPs). It also looks at employer and individual contribution behavior, time enrolled in such plans, account balances, and rollover behavior. It found that contributions to CDHPs are growing and that account balances are increasing. Press release EBRI Notes Dec 11, 2008 16 pages

Annuity Income: Ltest data confirm earlier findings that gender, marital status, age, education, and other demographic variables have a significant impact on the likelihood of a worker receiving a retirement annuity and/or employment-based pension income in retirement. Employer Spending on Benefits: Employer spending on total compensation continues to increase, reaching almost $8 trillion at year-end 2007 or almost 35 percent higher in 2000. Wages and salaries accounted for the lion’s share, $6.4 trillion (or 81.4 percent), while benefits made up the remainder, $1.5 trillion (18.6 percent).  Press release EBRI Notes Nov 26, 2008 12 pages

Enrollment in consumer-directed or high-deductible health plans eligible for a tax-preferred savings account increased to 9.8 million adults this year, with participants more likely to have higher incomes and be in better health than those with traditional health coverage, according to survey results released by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). EBRI Issue Brief Nov 18, 2008 44 pages

The percentage of workers participating in an employment-based retirement plan increased significantly in 2007 for the first time since 1998, with the increase affecting virtually all categories of workers, according to a study released today by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). EBRI Issue Brief Oct 9, 2008 40 pages

Americans continued to be battered by rising health care costs this year, with more than half of those with health insurance reporting they experienced higher costs. Some said the increases adversely affected their household finances and some said the U.S. health care system is so flawed that it should be completely overhauled, according to the 2008 Health Confidence Survey (HCS). Press release EBRI Notes Oct 7, 2008 16 pages

IRAs: More retirement assets are held in individual retirement accounts than any other vehicle, totaling $4.75 trillion at year-end 2007. Domestic Partner Benefits: This article updates previous research by EBRI providing information on why employers offer domestic partner health benefits, legal issues involved, recent developments, and current data. Press release EBRI Notes Sep 11, 2008 16 pages

The percentage of the non-elderly population (under age 65) with health insurance coverage increased to 82.8 percent in 2007. While the percentage of the non-elderly population with employment-based health benefits was unchanged between 2006 and 2007, and the percentage with public coverage increased, resulting in a decrease in the uninsured, this should not be viewed as an indicator of things to come in 2008. EBRI Issue Brief Sep 9, 2008 36 pages

The current trend in health care design toward “consumer-driven” health plans illustrates the same trend seen in 401(k) plans where benefit decision-making and responsibility have shifted from the employer to the worker. This report looks at lessons learned in the retirement realm with respect to offering workers choice, financial incentives, and more information and education. This is compared with the early evolution of consumer-driven health plans, which are still being driven solely by the market and not by legislation. EBRI Issue Brief Aug 12, 2008 28 pages