Hand fillin gout a health inaurance form on a clipboard with. a stethoscope and laptop in the background

How Will Employer Health Insurance Affect Wages and Social Security Finances?

Working Paper by Anqi Chen, Alicia H. Munnell, and Diana Horvath

September 26, 2023

The rising cost of employer contributions to employee-sponsored health insurance (ESHI) can slow wage growth and erode the Social Security wage base. Both these effects were evident in the decades before 2005, as ESHI increased as a share of compensation. Fortunately, the ratio of ESHI contributions to compensation plateaued after 2005, stabilizing wages and halting…

How Much Does Inflation Vary by Income? Depends on How It’s Measured

Issue Brief by Alicia H. Munnell and Diana Horvath

September 27, 2022

Introduction In June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced the largest 12-month increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) since 1981 – a rate of 9.1 percent. The rise in inflation was driven primarily by higher prices for gasoline, housing, and food. Although inflation has moderated somewhat, it st…

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