Employee Benefit Research Institute

EBRI Issue Brief – August 2010

What Do We Really Know About Consumer-Driven Health Plans?

This report by EBRI provides a detailed summary of what is known about consumer-driven health plans, a relatively new option for paying for medical expenses that first began to appear nearly a decade ago. Consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) consist of both health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs). The EBRI report examines trends in offer rates and enrollment, differences in premiums between CDHPs and other types of insurance, and discusses the drivers of the premium differences. Press release
EBRI Notes – July 2010

'Target-Date Fund Use Over Time' and 'The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program: $5 Billion Will Last About Two Years'

TDFs: The use of target-date funds, a relatively new 401(k) plan option, is more likely among participants who are younger, have lower account balances, and have shorter tenure at their current job, according to a study released by EBRI. Press release. Early Retiree Program: This article finds that if the PPACA early retiree subsidy were drawn down for all early retirees and their dependents, $2.5 billion of the $5 billion available would be exhausted in the first year of the program. The $5 billion would last no more than two years and would not be available in 2012 or 2013. Press release.

EBRI Notes – August 2010

'Coverage of Dependent Children to Age 26 Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" and 'EBRI’s Spring Policy Forum: Retirement Income Adequacy—How Big Is the Gap and How Might the Market Respond?'

The first report presents new EBRI findings that the dependent-child mandate under the new health reform law may increase premiums and that estimates of the size of the population that might enroll in their parents’ employment-based coverage may be understated. Press release The second report summarizes new research and discussion at EBRI's May 2010 policy forum. Press release.
EBRI Issue Brief – July 2010

The EBRI Retirement Readiness Rating:™ Retirement Income Preparation and Future Prospects

With Americans living longer in retirement, the 2010 EBRI Retirement Readiness Rating™ shows dramatically high percentages of Americans—even in the upper-income categories—are likely to run short of money after 10 or 20 years of retirement. The new analysis by EBRI finds that almost two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans in the two lowest preretirement income levels will be running short after 10 years in retirement. However, the EBRI study also finds that after 20 years of retirement, almost a third (29 percent) of those in the next-to-highest income level will run short of money, as will more than 1 in 10 (13 percent) of those in the highest-income level. Press release