Issue Briefs

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

Rising health care costs are increasingly changing the way Americans use the health care system. Many of these changes are positive, but others, such as delaying going to the doctor and not filling or skipping doses of prescribed medications, could have a negative impact on patients’ health, according to the 2007 Health Confidence Survey (HCS). Press release EBRI Notes Nov 1, 2007 12 pages

Participation in employment-based retirement plans fell about 2 percentage points in 2006 among workers with the strongest connection to the work force, according to a study published by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). In recent years, participation levels have tended to follow trends in the labor market, although the 2006 retirement plan participation decline occurred when the job market was stable. Press release EBRI Issue Brief Nov 1, 2007 36 pages

Individual account retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs), have continued to increase their share of retirement assets, and this share is projected to grow further, particularly for private-sector workers, according to a study published EBRI. The most recent data show that as of 2006, about $7.5 trillion in assets were held in IRAs and private-sector defined contribution plans such as 401(k)s, up from about $4.8 trillion in 2000. Press release EBRI Notes Oct 9, 2007 16 pages