AARP: Policy and Research Information for Professionals in Aging

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What Do the New Auto Industry VEBAs Mean for Current and Future Retirees?  / Research Report
March 2008— As health care costs increase, new auto industry agreements have substantially changed the terms of the retiree health care deal for UAW retirees. Beginning in 2010, the three U.S. automakers will no longer provide health benefits to retirees but will contribute nearly $60 billion to so-called VEBAs. A new PPI "Insight on the Issues" report by Ellen O’Brien describes the VEBAs and what they mean for retirees. (17 pages) (Publication ID: I4)

Workforce Trends: An AARP Study of Employers and Workers in Puerto Rico  / Research Report
January 2008— An AARP study of employers and workers in Puerto Rico suggests that to prevent a labor shortage in Puerto Rico, employers need to retain and recruit older workers. Although many companies surveyed already offer benefits attractive to the 50+ worker, they may want to consider additional benefits. (44 pages)

Preparation for Retirement: The Haves and Have-Nots  / Research Report
November 2007— Working households that lack access to a retirement savings plan at work are less prepared for retirement than working households that participate in a 401(k) or 403(b) plan. These households are less likely to have given their retirement at least some thought (72% vs. 82%), saved for retirement (51% vs. 86%), or tried to calculate the amount of money they will need in retirement (38% vs. 49%). Over six in ten financial decision-makers in working households (66%) who lack access to a retirement savings plan at work would be very or somewhat likely to participate in a retirement savings plan like a 401(k) if their employer or their spouse's employer were to offer one. These are among the key findings of a survey conducted by Harris Interactive for AARP of respondents without defined benefit plans. (26 pages)

Automatic IRAs: Worker Attitudes and Likelihood of Participation  / Research Report
August 2007— Do workers who would be affected by Automatic IRA legislation support the idea? Of 700 age 25+ employees responding to this 2007 Internet-based AARP survey, 71 percent favor the concept and 79 percent say they are likely to participate in an Individual Retirement Account through a regular payroll deduction. (15 pages)

Employer Awareness and Attitudes About Automatic 401(k) Plans  / Research Report
June 2007— The motivation of mid-size employers to automate their 401(k) plans and the underlying drivers such as the prevalence and understanding of automatic 401(k) plan features are explored in this national AARP telephone survey of 800 mid-size employers. (26 pages)

Enhancing 401(k) Value and Participation: Taking the Automatic Approach  / Research Report
June 2007— In this 2007 report prepared for AARP by Towers Perrin, concerns about low levels of 401(k) participation and the need to make these plans more valuable to support a range of workforce goals are reviewed. This report helps employers better understand recent trends in 401(k) design and the positive effects they can have for both employees and employers. (21 pages)

Survey of AARP Nevada Members  / Research Report
February 2007— This mail survey was conducted by AARP to explore AARP Nevada members' personal concerns and the issues they view as top legislative priorities for AARP Nevada to work on with the State, as well as volunteerism, work or career and retirement plans, health care needs and expenditures, and utility/energy costs and services.

The Behavioral Economics of Retirement Savings Behavior  / Research Report
January 2007— Using heuristics or rules of thumb can sometimes aid and sometimes bias the decisions that workers make in deciding to enroll in 401(k) plans, how much to save, and how to invest their assets, according to this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Richard Thaler of the University of Chicago and Shlomo Benartzi of UCLA. (33 pages) (Publication ID: 2007-02)

AARP South Carolina Caregiving in the Workplace Survey  / Research Report
January 2007— Workplace resources available to employees with caregiving responsibilities for parents and loved ones are assessed in this Fall 2006 AARP survey of 587 businesses in South Carolina with at least one employee. (30 pages)

In Brief: Mandatory Employer Pensions in Ireland, Germany, and the United Kingdom  / Research Report
January 2007— A succinct summary of the similarly titled AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Sophie Korczyk revealing lessons about expanding U.S. pension coverage to be learned from Irish, German and U.K. experiences in operating their new mandatory (on employers) 401(k)-type pension plans and comparing the plans’ features with those of American 401(k)s. (1 page) (Publication ID: INB134)

Mandatory Employer Pensions in Ireland, Germany, and the United Kingdom  / Research Report
January 2007— Features of the new mandatory (on employers) 401(k)-type pension plans in Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom are compared with American 401(k) plans in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Sophie Korczyk. The study includes lessons to be learned from the three countries’ experiences that are applicable to expanding U.S. pension coverage. (30 pages) (Publication ID: 2007-03)

Health Insurance Coverage and Costs at Older Ages: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study  / Research Report
September 2006— How changes in employer retiree health plans are affecting individuals is analyzed in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Richard W. Johnson of the Urban Institute. Health coverage and costs among early retirees and those on Medicare, and the role played by employer-sponsored retiree health benefits are examined. (67 pages) (Publication ID: 2006-20)

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 2005 Fiscal Year Report: An Agency Facing Continuing Financial Challenges  / Research Report
April 2006— At the end of fiscal year 2005 (September 30, 2005), the PBGC’s single-employer insurance program had a deficit of $22.8 billion. Since then, this AARP Public Policy Institute Fact Sheet by John Turner finds, the financial situation of the PBGC has further deteriorated. (2 pages) (Publication ID: FS125)

In Brief: Transition Provisions in Large Converted Cash Balance Pension Plans  / Research Report
October 2005— A succinct summary of the similarly titled AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper in which Daniel J. Beller examines the effects on older workers of conversions of large traditional defined benefit plans to cash balance pension plans. (2 pages) (Publication ID: INB103)

State Government Retiree Health Benefits: Current Status and Potential Impact of New Accounting Standards  / Research Report
July 2004— State and local governments will have to follow new accounting standards for their retiree health benefits. This AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper, written by Stan Wisniewski and Lorel Wisniewski of Workplace Economics, Inc., provides an overview of retiree health benefits for state-government workers (including state-level descriptions) and discusses the possible effects of the new standards. (105 pages) (Publication ID: 2004-08)

Access to Adequate Health Insurance: How Does the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Recent Rule Affect Retiree Health  / Congressional Testimony
May 2004— AARP President-Elect Erik Olsen testifies before the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Perceptions of the EEOC Ruling Among the 50+ Population: Results of a National Survey  / Research Report
May 2004— This survey found that more than 7 in 10 people age 50+ (73%) disagree with the April 2004 ruling of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that employers may reduce or eliminate health benefits for retirees when they become eligible for Medicare at age 65. (12 pages)

Employer Contracting with HMOs for Medicare Retirees  / Research Report
August 2000— An examination by health care policy and retiree benefits expert Peter D. Fox of relationships between managed care plans and employers or other retiree benefit sponsors, based on interviews with selected representatives of corporations, health plans, etc. An AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper. (18 pages) (Publication ID: 2000-13)