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From the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI):

EBRIef #217   www.ebri.org

In this issue:
What's New from EBRI
Upcoming EBRI Presentations

EBRI in the Media
Legislative Items
Regulatory Items
What's New(s) - Health & Workforce
What's News(s) - Retirement
Savings Education

 

What's New from EBRI

Company stock in 401(k) plans: 401(k) participants’ investments in company stock continued at historically low levels in 2014, according to the latest findings from the EBRI/ICI 401(k) database.
 
Only 7 percent of 401(k) assets were invested in company stock at year-end 2014, the same share as in 2012 and 2013. This share has fallen by 63 percent since 1999 when company stock accounted for 19 percent of assets.
 
Recently hired 401(k) participants contributed to this trend: they tended to be less likely to hold company stock. At year-end 2014, less than 30 percent of recently hired 401(k) plan participants in plans offering company stock held company stock, compared with about 44 percent of all 401(k) participants in plans offering company stock. MORE.
 


 Upcoming EBRI Presentations

May 19 - Paul Fronstin, Mid-America Coalition on Health Care 4th Annual Workplace Wellbeing Forum, Olathe, KS -- Topic: “Evidence from the Latest Research on Consumer-Directed Health Plans”


EBRI in the Media
EBRI's recent news coverage can be seen online here.
 
Legislative Items

Bloomberg:  “Feinberg Rejects Central States’ Plan for Pension Cutbacks
 
Health Affairs [Blog]:  “Judge Rules Against Administration in Cost-Sharing Reduction Payment Case
 
InvestmentNews:  “Leading Senate critic of DOL fiduciary rule says chamber will try to kill it
 
Kaiser Health News:  “House Republicans Win Lawsuit Over Obamacare Subsidies
 
NAPA Net:  “Absent ‘Fixes,’ CT State-Run Program Could Face Governor’s Veto
 
NAPA Net:  “MD Adopts State-Run Savings Program
 
PlanSponsor:  “What to Anticipate from Washington for Retirement Plans
 
Xerox Corporation FYI®:  “San Francisco Adopts Fully Paid Parental Leave
 


American Academy of Actuaries Issue Brief:  “Drivers of 2017 Health Insurance Premium Changes
 
AOL.com:  “Beyond Obamacare: Doctor groups push for single-payer health care plan
 
Health Care Cost Institute:  National Chartbook of Health Care Prices--2015
 
Human Resource Executive Online:  “Making Health Incentives Work
 
InsuranceNewsNet:  “Expanding Generic Drug Use Could Save Billions
 
NCHS Data Brief:  “State Variation in Health Care Service Utilization: United States, 2014
 
Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker:  “What are the current costs and outcomes related to mental health and substance abuse disorders?
 
The Pew Charitable Trusts and MacArthur Foundation:  State Retiree Health Plan Spending -- An Examination of Funding Trends and Plan Provisions
 
QBE:  Medical Stop Loss Captives: Issues & Answers
 
RAND Corporation:  Private Health Insurance Exchanges: Early Evidence and Implications for the Future [Note: The Ebook can be downloaded for free.]
 
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:  “Five Data Insights from the 2016 ACA Marketplace -- and a look ahead to 2017
 
U.S. Census Bureau:  “Uninsured Rate for Working-Age Adults Decreases in Majority of Counties, Census Bureau Reports
 
Willis Towers Watson:  “Near-site health centers: the next frontier
 


What's New(s)—Retirement

401(k) Specialist:  “401(k) Advisors Fail at Financial Education
 
BlackRock®:  Why It’s Time to Rethink Fixed Income Options for Defined Contribution Menus
 
Bloomberg BNA:  “Financial Wellness Gains Traction as Employee Benefit
 
CNBC:  “Using a free online retirement calculator? Be cautious
 
Franklin Templeton Investments:  Retirement Income Strategies and Expectations (RISE) Survey Results
 
Investors.com:  “Gender Gap: Men and Women Plan Differently for Retirement
 
Milliman 100 Pension Funding Index:  “Milliman Analysis: Corporate pension funded status drops by $25 billion in April
 
MSN:  “’I’ll never retire’: Americans break record for working past 65
 
NAPA Net:  “EBRI-ERF Forum Traces Retirement Challenges and Solutions
 
PlanAdviser:  “Advisers Hesitant to Recommend Guaranteed Income Options
 
PlanSponsor:  “2016 Participant Survey
 
T. Rowe Price:  Financial Wellness Program Evaluator
 
U.S. News & World Report:  “Fewer People Feel Satisfied in Retirement
 


Savings Education

Greenwich Time:  “Only 40% of U.S. Households Saving Enough
 
PlanSponsor:  “Plan Sponsors Should Promote Roth Accounts More
 
Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies:  “Saver’s Credit: Resources to Learn More about the Saver’s Credit
 
U.S. Department of the Treasury:  “U.S. Treasury Launches myRA (my Retirement Account) to Help Bridge America’s Retirement Savings Gap

myRA® -- A New Retirement Savings Account [Fact Sheet]
 
myRA Newsletter [May 2016]
 



 


 
 
 


About EBRI

The Employee Benefit Research Institute is a private, nonprofit research institute based in Washington, DC, that focuses on health, savings, retirement, and economic security issues. EBRI offers a unique perspective in that we do not lobby nor take policy positions. The work of EBRI is made possible by funding from its members and sponsors, which includes a broad range of organizations involved in benefits issues. For a full list see EBRI’s Members.

Key Contacts

     Retirement
          Jack VanDerhei
          Craig Copeland 
          Sudipto Banerjee

     Health
           Paul Fronstin
          Craig Copeland

     Media/communications
          Stephen Blakely

     Education/Choose to Save®
          Harry Conaway

      Librarian/reference
          Martha Bobbino

Harry Conaway, president & CEO

Copyright © 2016, Employee Benefit Research Institute, All rights reserved.

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