Issue Briefs

This article provides reaction to and analysis of results from the “2007 EBRI/Commonwealth Fund Consumerism in Health Survey,” published in the March 2008 EBRI Issue Brief (Press release).  Facts from EBRI provides the latest annual financial projections from the Social Security Board of Trustees, as well as background on the Social Security program.

EBRI Notes Apr 16, 2008 12 pages

Reflecting the growing concern over health care costs and economic issues, American workers' confidence in being able to afford a comfortable retirement decreased over the past year by a rate unmatched in the 18 years of the Retirement Confidence Survey® (RCS), according to results released by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Apr 9, 2008 24 pages

Assets in individual account retirement plans are concentrated in families with high family income and higher net worth, as well as in families with older family heads, higher educational attainment, and white, non-Hispanic family heads, according to a study released by EBRI. Press release EBRI Notes Mar 20, 2008 12 pages

Enrollment in consumer-driven and high-deductible health plans increased in 2007, but still makes up a small segment of the overall insurance market, according to the third EBRI/Commonwealth Fund Consumerism in Health Care Survey. Enrollment in consumer-driven plans with a tax-advantaged account was 2 percent of the privately insured adults in 2007. One in 10 insured adults had high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) without accounts. The survey also found the percentage of consumer-driven plan enrollees with high incomes (above $100,000) swelled in 2007. EBRI Issue Brief Mar 18, 2008 52 pages

Large employers say they are not ready to bail out of their role of acting as the backbone of health insurance coverage in the United States, according to an article published today by EBRI. But the article also notes that large employers are pushing for changes they hope will alleviate the rising costs of health benefits, and the current picture could shift quickly if one large employer drops benefits. Press release  EBRI Notes Feb 7, 2008 12 pages

The primary federal law governing employment-based health and retirement benefits is working as intended in preventing multi-state employers from potentially having to meet 50 different sets of health plan regulations, according to an analysis published by EBRI. The analysis reviews the history, intent, and major case law concerning the frequently debated Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974, which covers both employment-based retirement and health benefits in the private sector. EBRI Issue Brief Feb 5, 2008 16 pages

The most recent data from the March 2007 Current Population Survey 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. Press release EBRI Notes Jan 17, 2008 12 pages

A relatively new health plan model that its advocates hope will control rising health spending could fail if key consumer education initiatives prove ineffective, according to a study published by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). EBRI Issue Brief Jan 15, 2008 24 pages

IRA Assets and Contributions, 2006: Assets in individual retirement accounts (IRAs) grew 16.5 percent in 2006, reaching a record $4.23 trillion, according to a study released by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). (Press release)  Income of the Elderly Population Age 65 and Over, 2006: Median income of the elderly increased at an average annual rate of 1.0 percent from 1989–1999 and by 0.34 percent from 1999–2006; elderly women receive a larger share of their income from Social Security than men, and the older a person is, the greater share of his or her income comes from Social Security. EBRI Notes Dec 11, 2007 16 pages

Some associations representing employers’ interests are suggesting fundamental reforms in the current system of employment-based health insurance, but large employers are not on the verge of dropping benefits, according to a study released by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). Press release EBRI Issue Brief Dec 6, 2007 20 pages