January 26, 2000
NASI 12th Annual Conference
America’s health and income security systems will face new challenges in the next two decades as Baby Boomers pass through the second half of their work lives. At older ages, the risk of illness and disability rises, employment-based health insurance costs more, and involuntary job loss takes on new dimensions. Thus, a larger older work force will challenge existing health and income security systems. At the same time, employment relationships are changing and federal policies are seeking to encourage people to work longer and delay retirement as a way to reduce federal spending for Social Security and Medicare.
- What are the implications of an aging work force and of efforts to delay retirement for employer-financed health insurance and pensions?
- For state workers’ compensation and unemployment programs?
- For federal disability benefits, Medicare and Medicaid?
These systems tend to be analyzed one at a time. Yet changes in one program can have unintended consequences on others and on the fortunes and misfortunes of workers and their families. This conference will review the landscape of cross-cutting issues in ensuring health and income security for an aging work force.
Conference Co-chairs:
Peter Budetti
Professor and Director, Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies, Northwestern University
Richard V. Burkhauser
Professor and Chair, Department of Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University
Janice Gregory
Vice President, ERISA Industry Committee
A book of published proceedings, Ensuring Health and Income Security for an Aging Workforce, edited by Peter P. Budetti, Richard V. Burkhauser, Janice M. Gregory, and H. Allan Hunt, is available through the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research at (616) 343-4330.