Congressional Research Service Reports - 89 Matching Results

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Converting Retirement Savings into Income: Annuities and Periodic Withdrawals

Description: To a worker contemplating retirement, there is perhaps no more important question than "How long will my money last?" Congress has a strong interest in the income security of older Americans because much of their income is either provided directly from public programs like Social Security, or in the case of pensions and retirement accounts, is subsidized through tax deductions and deferrals. This report discusses risks involved with retirement fund disbursement and strategies for dealing with s… more
Date: December 1, 2008
Creator: Mulvey, Janemarie & Purcell, Patrick
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Converting Retirement Savings into Income: Annuities and Periodic Withdrawals

Description: To a worker contemplating retirement, there is perhaps no more important question than "How long will my money last?" Congress has a strong interest in the income security of older Americans because much of their income is either provided directly from public programs like Social Security, or in the case of pensions and retirement accounts, is subsidized through tax deductions and deferrals. This report looks at strategies to help deal with the following risks: longevity, investment, inflation,… more
Date: December 1, 2008
Creator: Mulvey, Janemarie & Purcell, Patrick
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Regulating Private Pensions: A Brief Summary of ERISA

Description: This report briefly discusses the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and how it protects the interests of participants and beneficiaries in private-sector employee benefit plans. ERISA covers a number of fringe benefits provided by employers, but most of its provisions deal with pension plans. Pension plans sponsored by the federal, state, and local governments, or by churches generally are exempt from ERISA.
Date: January 15, 2004
Creator: Purcell, Patrick
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security and Medicare Taxes and Premiums: Fact Sheet

Description: Financing for social security -- Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance -- and the Hospital Insurance part of Medicare is provided primarily by taxes levied on wages and net self-employment income. Financing for the Supplementary Medical Insurance portion of Medicare is provided by premiums from enrollees and payments from the government. This report describes these taxes and premiums.
Date: January 13, 2004
Creator: Nuschler, Dawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Supplemental Security Income (SSI): A Fact Sheet

Description: The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, Title XVI of the Social Security Act, was enacted in 1972 and implemented in 1974 to assure a minimum cash income to all aged, blind, or disabled persons. SSI is provided to eligible aged or disabled individuals or couples who have limited income and resources.
Date: January 8, 2008
Creator: Szymendera, Scott
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: Raising the Retirement Age Background and Issues

Description: The Social Security "full retirement age" will gradually rise from 65 to 67 beginning with people who attain age 62 in 2000 (i.e., those born in 1938). Early retirement benefits will still be available beginning at age 62, but at lower levels. To help solve Social Security's long-range financing problems, it has been proposed that these ages be raised further.
Date: June 24, 2002
Creator: Kollmann, Geoffrey
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation: A Fact Sheet

Description: The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is a federal government agency established in 1974 by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) (P.L. 93- 406). It was created to protect the pensions of participants and beneficiaries covered by private sector, defined benefit (DB) plans. These pension plans provide a specified monthly benefit at retirement, usually either a percent of salary or a flat dollar amount multiplied by years of service. Defined contribution plans, such as §40… more
Date: January 29, 2008
Creator: Topoleski, John J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Increases in Tricare Costs: Background and Options for Congress

Description: In its FY2007, FY2008, and FY2009 budget submissions, the Department of Defense (DOD) proposed increases in Tricare enrollment fees, deductibles, and pharmacy co-payments for retired beneficiaries not yet eligible for Medicare. In passing the FY2009 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress included measures establishing demonstration projects intended to find ways to contain costs through increased use of preventive care services by TRICARE beneficiaries. The scope of these measures are lim… more
Date: October 23, 2008
Creator: Jansen, Don J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Increases in Tricare Costs: Background and Options for Congress

Description: In its FY2007, FY2008, and FY2009 budget submissions, the Department of Defense (DOD) proposed increases in Tricare enrollment fees, deductibles, and pharmacy co-payments for retired beneficiaries not yet eligible for Medicare. In passing the FY2009 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress included measures establishing demonstration projects intended to find ways to contain costs through increased use of preventive care services by TRICARE beneficiaries. The scope of these measures are lim… more
Date: August 15, 2008
Creator: Jansen, Don J. & Best, Richard
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Increases in Tricare Costs: Background and Options for Congress

Description: In its FY2007, FY2008, and FY2009 budget submissions, the Department of Defense (DOD) proposed increases in Tricare enrollment fees, deductibles, and pharmacy co-payments for retired beneficiaries not yet eligible for Medicare. In passing the FY2009 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress included measures establishing demonstration projects intended to find ways to contain costs through increased use of preventive care services by TRICARE beneficiaries. The scope of these measures are lim… more
Date: July 25, 2008
Creator: Jansen, Don J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Increases in Tricare Costs: Background and Options for Congress

Description: In its FY2007 budget submission, the Department of Defense (DOD) proposed increases in Tricare enrollment fees, deductibles, and pharmacy co-payments for retired beneficiaries not yet eligible for Medicare. The raises were justified by DOD as necessary to constrain the growth of health care spending as a proportion of the overall defense budget in the next decade. Many beneficiaries argued that the proposed hikes were unfair and unnecessary. The FY2007 Defense Authorization Act prohibited incre… more
Date: May 6, 2008
Creator: Best, Richard A., Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pension Sponsorship and Participation: Summary of Recent Trends

Description: According to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), the number of private-sector workers between the ages of 25 and 64 whose employer sponsored a retirement plan fell from 53.1 million in 2004 to 52.5 million in 2005. The number of workers who participated in an employer-sponsored retirement plan fell from 43.3 million in 2004 to 43.1 million in 2005. The percentage of 25 to 64- year-old workers in the private sector who participated in an employer-sponsored retirement plan declin… more
Date: August 31, 2006
Creator: Purcell, Patrick J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Side-by-Side Comparison of Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Provisions in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005

Description: From the summary: "This report provides a comparison of Medicare, Medicaid and State Child Health Insurance Program provisions contained in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (S. 1932) as amended and passed by the Senate. The report compares the bill's provisions with current law."
Date: January 30, 2006
Creator: Tritz, Karen; Tilson, Sybil; Stone, Julie; Peterson, Chris L.; O'Sullivan, Jennifer; Morgan, Paulette C. et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: An Overview of Implementation for Dual Eligibles

Description: This report provides background information on the early stages of the implementation of the Medicare Part D outpatient prescription drug program. This report describes certain policies and implementation issues related to those who are not dually eligible.
Date: February 6, 2006
Creator: O'Sullivan, Jennifer & Tritz, Karen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Topics in Aging: Income and Poverty Among Older Americans in 2004

Description: Older Americans are an economically diverse group. In 2004, the median income of individuals age 65 and over was $15,199, but incomes varied widely around this average. Twenty-eight percent of Americans 65 or older had incomes of less than $10,000 in 2004, while 10% had incomes of $50,000 or more. As Congress considers reforms to Social Security and the laws governing pensions and retirement savings plans, it may be helpful to consider how changes to one income source would affect each of the o… more
Date: November 7, 2005
Creator: Whitman, Debra B. & Purcell, Patrick J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A CRS Review of 10 States: Home and Community-Based Services — States Seek to Change the Face of Long-Term Care: Indiana

Description: Many states have devoted significant efforts to respond to the desire for home and community-based care for persons with disabilities and their families. Nevertheless, financing of nursing home care, chiefly by Medicaid, still dominates most states’ spending for long-term care today. To assist Congress in understanding issues that states face in providing long-term care services, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) undertook a study of 10 states in 2002. This report, one in a series of 10 … more
Date: December 15, 2003
Creator: Tilly, Jane; O'Shaughnessy, Carol & Weissert, Rob
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Pros and Cons of Allowing the Federal Government to Negotiate Prescription Drug Prices

Description: The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) expressly forbids the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from negotiating the price of prescription drugs on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries. This report outlines the arguments for and against allowing the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries. This report will be updated, as needed.
Date: February 18, 2005
Creator: Hahn, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Older Americans Act: Disaster Assistance for Older Persons After Hurricane Katrina

Description: The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is having significant negative effects on older persons with physical and mental disabilities. Persons who are socially isolated and dependent upon informal caregivers and social service programs to assist them live independently have immediate and long-term needs. The Administration on Aging (AoA) has allocated $750,000 in disaster relief funds available through the Older Americans Act to Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi (divided equally among the… more
Date: September 22, 2005
Creator: O'Shaughnessy, Carol
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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