Aging Internet Information Notes: Pension Benefits
The Administration on Aging provides an extensive set of links to federal agencies, Congressional reports, statistics, pension benefit resource sites, retirement planning resource sites, and articles.
AARP: Health Insurance and Medicare
AARP is a nonprofit membership organization advocating for persons 50 and older. This site offers user-friendly information related to the Medicare system. AARP also offers Answers to Common Questions about the Medicare Legislation.
The American Benefits Council
The American Benefits Council is recognized as the preeminent advocate of employer-sponsored benefit programs in Washington, D.C. The site provides official source documents on issues of health, retirement, executive compensation, stock programs, and more, including an extensive section on pension reform.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Portal for both Medicare and Medicaid services. The Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare Coverage site offers information and assistance to Medicare users. It also contains a user-friendly glossary of terms related to Medicare and health insurance. The site began to list common prescriptions prices available with a number of the new discount cards in April, 2003.
Center for Retirement Research
This Boston College research group's mission is to forge a strong link between the academic community and decision-makers in the public and private sectors. Current research areas include Social Security, employer-sponsored pensions, household saving, and labor force participation.
Department of Labor: Can the Retiree Health Benefits Provided By Your Employer Be Cut?
The U.S. Department of Labor's brief on retiree health benefits. The publication states that your coverage can change under certain circumstances and gives tips on how to read benefit plans.
Employee Benefit Research Institute
Established in 1978, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed exclusively to data dissemination, policy research, and education on economic security and employee benefits. Among the Institute's recent publications is "The Impact of the Erosion of Retiree Health Benefits on Workers and Retirees." (PDF)
Employee Benefits Security Administration
The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), formerly known as the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA), protects the integrity of pensions, health plans, and other employee benefits for more than 150 million people by: assisting workers in getting the information they need to protect their benefit rights; assisting plan officials to understand the requirements of the relevant statutes in order to meet their legal responsibilities; developing policies and laws that encourage the growth of employment-based benefits; deterring and correct violations of the relevant statutes. The site provides information on laws and regulations, and addresses Frequently Asked Questions on a variety of topics.
ERISA Industry Committee
The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) represents the employee benefits interests of America's major employers. The site provides important legislation and regulation, as well as records of ERIC's communications to Congress on the issues they cover.
Families USA: The Voice for Healthcare Consumers
This national nonprofit, non-partisan organization offers a multitude of resources related to Medicare and health care.
Health Insurance
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides numerous resources related to Medicare and Medicaid.
Kaiser Family Foundation
The Kaiser Family Foundation provides non-partisan information on national health issues to policymakers, the media, and the general public. The site also provides a wealth of facts and figures and important contact information on a local level through its State Health Facts Online. The Foundation released a report on retiree health benefits in 2004. Read the full study. Read more from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
National Retiree Legislative Network
The National Retiree Legislative Network, Inc. (NRLN) is a nonprofit social welfare organization started by several large retiree organizations from well-known corporations. NRLN organizations represent more than 1,500,000 individual retirees. NRLN "seeks to secure federal legislation that will guarantee the fair and equitable treatment of retirees in private and public sector health and pension programs and which will improve the adequacy of benefits provided by such programs."
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is a federal government corporation established by Title IV of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to encourage the continuation and maintenance of defined benefit pension plans, provide timely and uninterrupted payment of pension benefits to participants and beneficiaries in plans covered by PBGC, and keep pension insurance premiums at the lowest level necessary to carry out the Corporation's objectives.
"Pension gaps drag down earnings"
WALL $TREET WEEK with FORTUNE featured this story in April 2003 about how "sagging retirement plans need more cash from their companies, and the problem could last for a long time."
Pension Research Council
The Pension Research Council of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is an organization committed to generating debate on key policy issues affecting pensions and other employee benefits. The Council sponsors interdisciplinary research on the entire range of private pension and social security programs, as well as related benefit plans in the United States and around the world. The Web site offers a library of Working Papers from 1995 through the present, and provides a good list of links to related sites.
The Pension Rights Center
The Pension Rights Center is dedicated to protecting and promoting the pension rights of American workers, retirees and their families. The Center identifies inequities in America's pension systems, proposes realistic reform measures, and helps employees and retirees understand and enforce their legal rights. The Web site explains the Center's activities, provides resources for pension counseling, and covers pension news and current issues.
Retirement
CNN and MONEY magazine offer articles such as "Best Places to Retire" as well as an interactive retirement planning calculator.
|
