In recent years the major developments in employee-benefit plans sponsored or underwritten by private organizations have been reported regularly in the Social Xecurity Bulletin. Thiis year the report is in two parts. Part I, which appeared in the April issue of the Bulletin, included 1959 data on coverage, contributions, and benefits under health, welfare, and retirement plans. In addition it d...

From time to time the Bulletin carries reports on operations in the five States that supplement the unemployment insurance benefit with a small allowance for dependents of beneficiaries . This article discusses sources from which data on the dependents of wage earners can be obtained and the use of such information in estimating the extent to which inclusion of dependents’ allowances aflects th...

The Affordable Care Act broadens and strengthens the health insurance benefits available to consumers by requiring insurers to provide coverage of a minimum set of medical services known as "essential health benefits." Federal officials implemented this reform using transitional policies that left many important decisions to the states, while pledging to reassess that approach in time for the 2...

Although disabled beneficiaries are not expected to work, do they continue to value work? This article compares data on a particular concept of work values, the importance to the self of having a job, for social security disability insurance beneficiaries, other disabled persons, and nondisabled persons interviewed in the Social Security Administration's 1978 Survey of Disability and Work. Desc...

Private health insurance benefit payments are an integral component of estimates of national health expenditures. Recent analyses indicate that the insurance industry has undergone significant changes since the mid-1970's. As a result of these study findings and corresponding changes to estimating techniques, private health insurance estimates have been revised upward. This has had a major impa...

In establishing minimum coverage standards for health insurance plans, the Affordable Care Act includes an "essential health benefits" statute that directs the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services not to make coverage decisions, determine reimbursement rates, establish incentive programs, or design benefits in ways that discriminate against individuals because of their age, disability, o...

The quality of patient care varies based on numerous factors, such as health care setting, geographic location, access to medications, insurance coverage, and treatment protocols. Recently, the issue of whether use of clinical pathways can reduce costs and inappropriate variability in care has been the subject of much debate. As clinical treatment guidelines and pathways are increasingly deploy...

A new wave of state and federal legislation affecting mental health insurance was passed during the 1990s. Although patient advocacy groups have hailed the passage of numerous parity laws, it is unclear whether this activity represents a major improvement in insurance benefits or significantly increases access to mental health care. We investigated this issue with data from two new national stu...

We develop a simple model of labor market participation, human capital degradation, and re-training. We focus on how non-participation, as a distinct state from unemployment and employment, is determined by the welfare system in interaction with labor market conditions and personal characteristics. We provide a tractable framework to analyze how the decisions to exit the labor force and to miti...

T HE old-age and survivors insurance program combines three types of protection for workers and their families-retirement protection for those between the ages of 65 and 75, annuities for those aged 75 or over, and survivor insurance, payable on the death of an insured worker at any age. The retirement test (or work clause) is applicable when the beneficiary is under age 75, both for retirement...