Issue Briefs

'Benefit Cost Comparisons:' State and local government employers and private-sector employers have sharply different compensation costs, driven by the different nature of public- vs. private-sector work. Press release   'Individual Accounts': Half of families in the United States do not own an individual account retirement plan at all, but of those that do own at least one plan, most own only one. EBRI Notes Jun 17, 2008 12 pages

This Issue Brief examines the uncertainty of health care expenses in retirement by using a Monte Carlo simulation model to estimate the amount of savings needed to cover health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket health care expenses. This type of simulation is able to account for the uncertainty related to individual mortality and rates of return, and computes the present value of the savings needed to cover health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses in retirement. These observations were used to determine asset targets for having adequate savings to cover retiree health costs 50, 75, and 90 percent of the time. Press release  EBRI Issue Brief May 30, 2008 28 pages

Growth in the number of 401(k)-type plans and the number of participants in those plans, which increased sharply in the 1990s, has slowed in recent years, according to a new EBRI study. Press release EBRI Notes May 13, 2008 20 pages

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