Benefits Survey

Next month a new Congress will be sworn into office and health and retirement policy issues will be at the forefront of the domestic policy agenda. In order to be best equipped to represent your interests and to inform our political leaders, the American Benefits Council needs your input and guidance through the following short survey.

Before you begin the questionnaire, please provide us with your business email address. The web site vendor hosting the survey will use this information to ensure that those who have already completed the survey do not receive reminder emails. At no time will the Council staff be given responses that are identified with any particular person or company.

Please respond to this survey by close of business on Thursday, January 9, 2003. Please also note that we are seeking the views of as many benefits professionals within our member companies as possible, so please share this survey with others in your organization who would not have received it directly from us.

Questions about the functioning of this survey should be directed to Deanna Johnson Keim, Council director, communications, at djkeim@abcstaff.org or Jason Hammersla, Council communications associate, jhammersla@abcstaff.org. Both can be reached by phone at 202-289-6700.

Business e-mail address of survey respondent:

 
1. Please rate the importance of employer-sponsored benefits to the competitive success of American businesses in each of the following time periods:

1–very important   2–somewhat important   3–not very important   4–not at all important
 
1a. Ten years ago 1 2 3 4
1b. Two years ago 1 2 3 4
1c. Today 1 2 3 4
1d. Two years from now 1 2 3 4
1e. Ten years from now 1 2 3 4
 
2. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements:
1–strongly agree   2–somewhat agree   3–somewhat disagree   4–strongly disagree  
2a. Congress has sufficient understanding of the laws and regulations currently governing employer-sponsored benefits plans. 1 2 3 4
2b. Congress has sufficient understanding of the role of employers in providing benefits through the workplace. 1 2 3 4
2c. Congress is willing to seriously consider employer views in developing benefits legislation. 1 2 3 4
2d. Congress gives appropriate priority to legislation that would strengthen the employer-sponsored benefits system. 1 2 3 4
 
3. Do you think the discussion of health and retirement issues in this year's election campaigns helped, hurt or made no difference in improving the general public's understanding of employer-sponsored benefits?
helped         hurt         made no difference        
 
4. Please indicate the level of priority President Bush and Congress should give to each of the following retirement-related legislative issues:
1–very high priority   2–somewhat high priority   3–somewhat low priority   4–very low priority, not sure
4a. Making Social Security financially sound 1 2 3 4
4b. Providing additional flexibility in the nondiscrimination, coverage and separate line of business rules 1 2 3 4
4c. Expanding and making permanent the savings credit under EGTRRA for low- and middle-income workers. 1 2 3 4
4d. Making permanent the retirement policy provisions of EGTRRA 1 2 3 4
4e. Allowing financial institutions that provide retirement products to also provide advice to plan participants 1 2 3 4
4f. Encouraging the provision of investment advice to retirement plan participants through the use of tax incentives (pre-tax funding and/or employer tax credits) 1 2 3 4
4g. Providing a permanent replacement of the 30-year Treasury bond for all pension plan calculation purposes 1 2 3 4
4h. Further clarifying issues relating to cash balance plans 1 2 3 4
4i. Enacting defined contribution plan changes that would provide greater diversification rights for plans with company stock and expanded notice and disclosure requirements 1 2 3 4
 
5. Will the enactment of legislation taxing nonqualified deferred compensation programs and reducing the availability of funding for those products help, hurt or make no difference in the level of benefits provided to employees across the income spectrum?
help         hurt         make no difference        
 
6. Please indicate the level of priority President Bush and Congress should give to each of the following health-related legislative issues:
1–very high priority   2–somewhat high priority   3–somewhat low priority   4–very low priority, not sure
6a. Increasing the number of Americans with health insurance 1 2 3 4
6b. Making Medicare financially sound 1 2 3 4
6c. Providing broader prescription drug coverage for seniors 1 2 3 4
6d. Providing stronger tax incentives to expand the availability of health coverage 1 2 3 4
6e. Encouraging the development of consumer-directed health care plans/healthcare reimbursement savings (HRAs) 1 2 3 4
6f. Expanding the right to sue employers and health plans for incorrectly denied benefits 1 2 3 4
6g. Providing new tax incentives for retiree health care coverage 1 2 3 4
6h. Clarifying or rescinding the Erie County decision that prohibits higher health benefits for early retirees than for post-age 65, Medicare-eligible retirees. 1 2 3 4
6i. Enacting medical malpractice/tort reform to include strict liability limits 1 2 3 4
6j. Restricting employers from changing retiree health coverage benefits 1 2 3 4
6k. Reducing or restricting employers' tax deductions for health coverage 1 2 3 4
6l. Expanding the current federal mental health parity coverage requirements 1 2 3 4
6m. Expanding existing tax incentives for long-term care coverage 1 2 3 4
 
7. The next Congress is likely to consider legislation to expand prescription drug coverage for seniors, through either public or private programs. How do you believe they should approach this major issue?
 
on an incremental basis focusing on low-income seniors and those with catastrophic prescription drug expenses first
on a comprehensive basis attempting to achieve prescription drug coverage for all seniors at the same time
 
8. If health care costs continue to increase at their current rate, how concerned are you that this will adversely affect the ability of employers to provide quality health coverage to their employees?
 
very concerned somewhat concerned
not very concerned not at all concerned
 
9. Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statement:
If federal legislation is enacted to expand prescription drug coverage, through either public or private programs, employers should be reimbursed in the same manner as insurers and other entities that offer such coverage.
 
strongly agree somewhat agree
somewhat disagree strongly disagree      
 
10. Many employers have started to consider whether to offer some form of a "consumer-driven" health plan to their employees. Looking ahead over the next 5 to 10 years, how significant do you expect the enrollment to be in these types of health plans compared to more traditional plan designs?
 
very significant somewhat significant
not very significant not at all significant
 
11. Five years from now, how likely do you think it will be that the annual increase in health care costs will return to the single-digit range?
 
very likely somewhat likely
not very likely not at all likely