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From the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI):

EBRIef #221   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

Retirement expectations—gender and marital differences: EBRI’s most recent Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) finds that, statistically, there are no differences in the age at which workers plan to retire by gender and marital status; all groups have median expected retirement age of 65.
 
Despite their longer life expectancy, women are statistically as likely as men to think they are very likely to live until age 85 (38 percent of women and 35 percent of men).  Unmarried women, however, are more likely to say they are very likely to live until age 95 (15 percent) than unmarried men (9 percent) or married men (7 percent) and married women (8 percent).
 
Unmarried men, unmarried women, and married women are more likely than married men to say they are very or somewhat interested in purchasing an insurance product with a portion of their savings that begins providing guaranteed monthly income at some point in the future, such as age 80 or 85. Unmarried women are most likely to say they are interested (44 percent), followed by unmarried men (40 percent) and married women (40 percent). Married men are least likely to express interest (29 percent). MORE.
 


 Upcoming EBRI Presentations

Sept. 26 - Paul Fronstin, Mid-Sized Retirement & Healthcare Plan Management Conference, University Conference Services, Las Vegas, NV -- Topic: "The Future of Employment-Based Health Benefits"
 


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

The Commonwealth Fund:  “Looking Under the Hood of the Cadillac Tax
 
NAPA Net:  “Two More Suits Challenge Fiduciary Regulation
 
Reuters (via CNBC):  “New Jersey top court sides with state in high-stakes pension case
 
U.S. Senate:  Graduate Student Savings Act of 2016 [Sponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Mike Lee]
 
USA Today:  “Obama vetoes attempt to undo retirement savings rule
 
Willis Towers Watson Insider:  “Vermont becomes fifth state to enact paid sick leave law
 


Regulatory Items

HRBenefitsAlert.com:  “IRS: Here’s how to handle the tax treatment of wellness rewards
 
NAPA Net:  “What Will - and Won’t - Change for Plan Sponsors with the Fiduciary Rule
 
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation:  Mergers and Transfers Between Multiemployer Plans; Proposed rule [as published in the Federal Register on June 6, 2016 - SUMMARY: This proposed rule would amend PBGC’s regulation on Mergers and Transfers Between Multiemployer Plans to implement section 121 of the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014. The proposed rule would also reorganize and update the existing regulation. DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 5, 2016.]
 
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Secretary:  Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Summary Plan Description Requirements Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as Amended; Notice [as published in the Federal Register on June 9, 2016 - SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled ‘‘Summary Plan Description Requirements Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as Amended,’’ to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited. DATES: The OMB will consider all written comments that agency receives on or before July 11, 2016.]
 


What’s New(s)—Health & Workforce

Benefitfocus [Blog]:  “3 Ways to Boost HSA Participation for Millennials
 
The Commonwealth Fund Issue Brief:  “Promoting Value for Consumers: Comparing Individual Health Insurance Markets Inside and Outside the ACA’s Exchanges
 
Employee Benefit Adviser:  “Should employers be required to disclose population health outcomes?
 
Employee Benefit Adviser:  “Why employees don’t opt for life insurance benefits
 
FierceHealthcare:  “Insurer-driven price negotiation makes dent in cancer care cost growth
 
Kaiser Family Foundation:  Key Facts on Health and Health Care by Race and Ethnicity
 
Kaiser Health News:  “Even With The Health Law In Place, Costs Keep Going Up
 
PlanSponsor:  “70% of Employees Not Price Shopping for Health Care -- Only 29% of health benefit plan sponsors offer a price comparison tool, a survey finds.
 
PlanSponsor:  “Mercer Offers Health Benefit Insights to Employers -- A series of whitepapers address concerns for small and mid-size employers.
 
Transamerica Center for Health Studies® Survey:  Millennial Survey: Young Adults’ Healthcare Reality
 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:  “Employer Costs for Employee Compensation - March 2016
 


What's New(s)—Retirement

Benefitfocus [Blog]:  “3 Ways to Boost HSA Participation for Millennials
 
The Commonwealth Fund Issue Brief:  “Promoting Value for Consumers: Comparing Individual Health Insurance Markets Inside and Outside the ACA’s Exchanges
 
Employee Benefit Adviser:  “Should employers be required to disclose population health outcomes?
 
Employee Benefit Adviser:  “Why employees don’t opt for life insurance benefits
 
FierceHealthcare:  “Insurer-driven price negotiation makes dent in cancer care cost growth
 
Kaiser Family Foundation:  Key Facts on Health and Health Care by Race and Ethnicity
 
Kaiser Health News:  “Even With The Health Law In Place, Costs Keep Going Up
 
PlanSponsor:  “70% of Employees Not Price Shopping for Health Care -- Only 29% of health benefit plan sponsors offer a price comparison tool, a survey finds.
 
PlanSponsor:  “Mercer Offers Health Benefit Insights to Employers -- A series of whitepapers address concerns for small and mid-size employers.
 
Transamerica Center for Health Studies® Survey:  Millennial Survey: Young Adults’ Healthcare Reality
 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:  “Employer Costs for Employee Compensation - March 2016
 


Savings Education

CNBC:  “Demystifying the 401(k) plan investment process
 
Employee Benefit Adviser:  “Why HSA contributions are becoming as important as a 401(k) match
 
North Bay Business Journal:  “3 ways health savings accounts help you stash cash for retirement
 
Seeking Alpha:  “Company Stock In Your 401(K)? Don’t Make My Costly Mistake





 
 
 


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

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