The Future of Retiree Health Benefits: Challenges and Options
Tricia Neuman, Vice President and Director of the Medicare Policy Project testified before the House Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations on retiree health coverage for older Americans. The statement describes the health needs of aging adults and the importance of health insurance coverage at a time in their lives when they face increasing health problems. It then reviews insurance challenges facing both early retirees, as well as retirees who are 65 and older, against the backdrop of a steady erosion in retiree health benefits in recent years. The statement concludes with a review of policy options under discussion that could help address problems that arise from eroding employer-sponsored retiree health benefits.