U.S. General Accounting Office

Options to Encourage the Preservation of Pension and Retirement Savings: Phase 2

Options' Effects on Plan Coverage

4.
In your opinion, would the following options help or hinder pension and retirement plan coverage?
(Check one for each.)
    Greatly help Generally help Neither help nor hinder Generally hinder Greatly hinder No answer
4a.
Allow employer plans to distribute a certain amount of pension benefits as annuity income and the remainder with participant discretion
4b.
Allow plan sponsors or employers to form or join purchasing pools to offer annuities
4c.
Amend ERISA Investment Advisor rules to clarify that plan sponsors may provide information/education on managing income during retirement
4d.
Apply the same tax penalties for taking a lump sum at retirement as are applied for pre-retirement lump sum distributions
4e.
Change benefit portability rules/regulations
4f.
Develop more adequate annuity products (not a policy option per se)
4g.
Enable government to act as an insurer for commercial annuity providers (i.e., federal guaranty program)
   

    Greatly help Generally help Neither help nor hinder Generally hinder Greatly hinder No answer
4h.
Have PBGC or another government agency provide annuities to employers and/or employees (i.e., as a competitor to provide or sell annuities)
4i.
Increase information and education to participants/ retirees
4j.
Mandating pension/retirement saving plan benefits be paid as annuities (partial or full)
4k.
Mandating qualified DC plans offer an annuity as a default option of pension benefits (i.e., apply QJSA provisions)
4l.
Modify rules/regulations that currently apply when plans offer an annuity (e.g., limit QJSA provisions)
4m.
Provide tax incentives for employees who receive qualified annuity income (i.e., favorable tax treatment of annuity income)
4n.
Provide tax incentives for employers and/or insurance providers to provide annuities to retirees
   

    Greatly help Generally help Neither help nor hinder Generally hinder Greatly hinder No answer
4o.
Require all DC plans that don't normally pay out in the form of an annuity to roll out all lump sum distributions to a new type of IRA that pays benefits in the form of a J&S annuity
4p.
Require pension/retirement plans offering distributions in the from of an annuity to offer an inflation-indexed annuity option
4q.
Require pension/retirement plans that allow retirees to elect lump sums to also offer the option to annuitize some benefits at a later date
4r.
Require qualified DC plans to offer an annuity option
4s.
Set minimum standards for state insurance guaranty funds
4t.
Simplify various DB plan rules to level the playing field with DC plans
4u.
Other (Please describe below.)
   

 
If you checked "other" (above), please describe. (The textbox will expand to accommodate your response.)

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