Summary
Use of Health Care Services and Access Issues by Type of Health Plan: Findings from the EBRI/MGA Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey
- In 2011, 30-40 percent of respondents, depending on the question, reported some type of health care access issue for either themselves or family members. Individuals in high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) were more likely than those with traditional coverage to report access issues.
- Individuals with health problems are more likely than those without health problems to report access issues.
- Individuals in households with less than $50,000 in annual income are more likely than those in households with $50,000 or more in annual income to report access issues.
- Length of time individuals had been with consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) had an impact on access issues in 2011.
- Among individuals with CDHPs for less than a year, 42 percent reported access issues, compared with 33 percent of those with CDHPs for one to two years, and 32 percent among those with CDHPs for three or more years.
Retirement Readiness Ratings and Retirement Savings Shortfalls for Gen Xers: The Impact of Eligibility for Participation in a 401(k) Plan
- The dollar value of retirement savings shortfalls for Gen Xers varies considerably with the number of future years of eligibility for 401(k) plans, particularly for those in the highest severity category (simulated to have a shortfall of $200,000 or more): 13 percent of those with no future years of 401(k) eligibility have shortfalls in this range vs. only 3 percent for those with 20 or more years.
- Future eligibility for 401(k) plans makes a significant difference in reducing the percentage of households with shortfalls of $200,000 or more for all gender/family status combinations, but single females experience the largest absolute reduction in the percentage of those with shortfalls in this range.