Earlier Issue Briefs

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

What kind of work do you do? What is your income? Are you a man or woman? How many are employed at the firm where you work? Do you work full time or part time? Answers to these questions are key determinants of an individual’s likelihood of having health insurance, according to the October 2007 EBRI Issue Brief, published by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Oct 4, 2007 36 pages

Proposals to change the tax treatment of health insurance could mean the end of employment-based coverage as it now exists in the United States, according to a study by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). EBRI Issue Brief Sep 14, 2007 28 pages

This study by EBRI provides the first estimate of the expected impact of the automatic escalation provision in the Pension Protection Act of 2006, showing that it is likely to result in a significant increase in 401(k) accumulations, especially for low-income workers. Press release EBRI Notes Sep 12, 2007 12 pages

As an increasing percentage of older Americans are in the labor force, the trend toward more full-time, full-year work among older workers occurs across virtually every demographic group, according to an article published by the nonpartisan EBRI. These trends mark a significant change in behavior for individuals age 55 and older, and are likely driven by their need to obtain affordable employment-based health insurance (as opposed to unaffordable or unavailable coverage in the individual market) and the need to continue to accumulate savings in employment-based defined contribution retirement plans. Press release EBRI Notes Aug 2, 2007 12 pages

The average account balance among American workers who consistently held 401(k) accounts from 1999 through 2006 increased at an annual rate of 8.7 percent, according to the latest analysis of the EBRI/ICI 401(k) database, the largest of its kind. Among this consistent group, the median, or midpoint, account balance increased at an annual rate of 15.1 percent. EBRI Issue Brief Aug 1, 2007 40 pages

More changes are anticipated for the U.S. pension system as a result of legislative and regulatory activity last year. The article recaps the experts’ reactions—at EBRI’s spring 2007 policy forum in Washington, DC—to major developments in the pension world: Enactment of the Pension Protection Act (PPA) of 2006, which imposed new funding rules on pension plans, among other things, and major accounting rules issued by the private-sector Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the public-sector Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Press release EBRI Notes Jul 17, 2007 12 pages

A new survey shows that about two-thirds of “traditional” (defined benefit) pension sponsors have either changed the plan in the last two years or intend to do so in the next two years. The most frequent plan changes have been to close the defined benefit plan to new hires or freeze it for all members. Pension plan sponsors say the driving forces behind these pension benefit reductions are a new law by Congress that in some cases significantly increases their pension plan costs, and pending accounting rule changes that are also expected to dramatically increase the cost and risk of offering a pension benefit to workers. EBRI Issue Brief Jul 10, 2007 32 pages

As the baby-boom generation ages, the U.S. labor-force participation rate is increasing for those age 55 and older, accordinig to a new report from EBRI. The increase for those ages 55–64 is driven almost exclusively by an increase of women in the work force. Press release EBRI Notes Jun 12, 2007 12 pages

Although minority workers are at least as likely as American workers overall to feel confident about their retirement security, their preparations lag behind, according to the 2007 Minority Retirement Confidence Survey (MRCS). According to the survey, less than half of African-American workers (48 percent, down from 62 percent in 2003) and Hispanic workers (41 percent, down from 60 percent in 2003) say they have saved money for retirement, making them less likely than workers overall (66 percent) to have saved. EBRI Issue Brief Jun 5, 2007 20 pages

Social Security: Benefits from Social Security are a growing source of income as the nation’s elderly population ages, according to a study by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). ERISA Pre-emption: EBRI is reprinting a 1993 article by one of the nation's experts on ERISA and pre-emption of state health insurance regulation. Press release EBRI Notes May 10, 2007 12 pages

A U.S. Census Bureau revision of data for 2004 and 2005 caused a small reduction in the overall number of uninsured U.S. residents and slightly modified the demographic and work place composition of the uninsured, according to a study released by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). EBRI Issue Brief May 9, 2007 28 pages

Public-sector workers’ median tenure with their current employer is about 80 percent higher than private-sector workers, according to a study published by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The study also finds that the percentage of long-tenured workers in the public sector declined in 2006 after a steady increase from 1991–2004. Press release EBRI Notes Apr 17, 2007 12 pages

A large percentage of American workers recognize the U.S. retirement system is undergoing major changes, but many are not adapting in ways that are likely to leave them well-positioned for a comfortable retirement, according to the 17th annual Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS). EBRI Issue Brief Apr 11, 2007 28 pages

The percentage of Americans age 65 or older who received pension income either from one of their own former employers or from a spouse’s former employer increased slightly from 1998 to 2003, according to a study by EBRI. The percentages include both former private-sector and public-sector employees. Press release EBRI Notes Mar 1, 2007 16 pages

While the overall rate of uninsured Americans has increased in recent years, the percentage of workers offered health insurance and the percentage of workers taking coverage when it was offered have remained relatively steady since the late 1980s, according to a study published by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Mar 1, 2007 24 pages