This volume presents innovative research on issues of importance to the
well-being of older persons: labor market behavior, health care, housing
and living arrangements, and saving and wealth.
Specific topics include the effect of labor market rigidities on the
employment of older workers; the effect on retirement of the
availability of continuation coverage benefits; and the influence of the
prospective payment system (PPS) on rising Medicare costs. Also
considered are the effects of health and wealth on living arrangement
decisions; the incentive effects of employer-provided pension plans; the
degree of substitution between 401(k) plans and other employer-provided
retirement saving arrangements; and the extent to which housing wealth
determines how much the elderly save and consume.
Two final studies use simulations that describe the implications of
stylized economic models of behavior among the elderly. This timely
volume will be of interest to anyone concerned with the economics of
aging.