Health kicks

The US pension sector is having to cope not just with the increased cost of retirement provision but also the attendant healthcare obligations many schemes are under – liabilities that must now be accounted for upfront. Andrew Sheen reports

As the baby boomer generation in the US hits retirement age over the next few years, stretched pension funds are going to be faced with the double whammy of generous promises for retiree benefits – studies show this generation will be the most dollar-rich generation of retirees in US history – and the costly burden of providing healthcare to millions.

With the attendant increases in longevity and rapid medical advances over the past few decades, these costs have risen dramatically, calling into