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'The Impact of Hours of Work on Employment-Based Health Benefits,' and 'Facts from EBRI: Typical Health Benefit Package in Private Industry'

Hours of Work: An increasing share of the U.S. labor force is employed part-time, and this trend will likely lead to fewer workers with employment-based health benefits. Facts from EBRI: This article presents data from a variety of sources about private-sector health benefits, such as offer rates, take-up rates, and prevalent types of health plans. Press release EBRI Notes May 2, 2006 8 pages

'Changes in the OASI Benefit Distribution Under Various Social Security Reform Alternatives,' and 'Tax Expenditures and Employee Benefits: Estimates From the FY 2007 Budget'

Social Security: The article examines changes in the distribution of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance benefits (the primary Social Security program) under five reform options, and notes that any changes in Social Security could have a dramatic effect on the percentage of elderly living below the poverty level. Tax Expenditures and Employee Benefits: In his budget, the president is required to provide a list of “tax expenditures”—federal tax revenue foregone due to preferential provisions. This includes both tax-deferred programs (in which tax revenue ultimately will be collected) and tax-exempt programs (in which no revenue will ever be collected). Press release. EBRI Notes Apr 11, 2006 12 pages

(1) Retirement Plans and Retirement Confidence in Higher Education; and (2) Retirement Annuity and Employment-Based Pension Income Among Individuals Ages 50 and Over

The Retirement Confidence Survey of College and University Faculty was conducted to better understand the retirement planning and saving behavior of college and university faculty, as well as to gauge perceptions regarding various aspects of their retirement preparations. Press release.  The analysis of retirement annuity and pension income for those over 50 notes that demographic factors remain key indicators, the gender gap closing, and annuity income streams disappearing.  EBRI Notes Mar 2, 2006 12 pages

Designing Benefits With Evidence in Mind

This Issue Brief explores whether an old concept (benefit design) and a newer concept (evidence-based clinical information) can be more explicitly linked in order to better focus care on health improvement, and to discourage services and costs that do not result in improved health. EBRI Issue Brief Feb 16, 2006 16 pages

Retirement Plan Participation and Retirees’ Perception of Their Standard of Living

A new EBRI study shows the value of preserving lump-sum distributions from 401(k) and assets from other retirement plans when you switch jobs: “A significantly higher percentage of those who spent their lump-sum distributions entirely reported their standard of living (in retirement) as being somewhat or much worse than was reported by those who rolled over their entire distribution (24.5 percent compared with 16.2 percent),” the study says. EBRI Issue Brief Jan 10, 2006 44 pages