Number: RS21845
Title: Final Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Rules on Retiree Health Plans and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act
Authors: Jody Feder, American Law Division 
Abstract: Under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has the authority to issue reasonable exemptions the Commission finds to be in the public interest. In 2004, the EEOC approved a narrowly drawn exemption to permit the practice of coordinating employerprovided retiree health coverage with eligibility for Medicare. However, the proposed regulation was challenged in court, and a permanent injunction blocking its implementation remained in effect for several years while the courts considered the issue. Recently, a federal appeals court upheld the EEOC's promulgation of the proposed rule and lifted the injunction, allowing the EEOC to publish the final rule, which became effective in December 2007. The final rule states that it is not a violation of the ADEA to alter, reduce, or eliminate health benefits for retirees when the participant becomes eligible for Medicare or comparable state health benefits. According to the EEOC, if employers were required to provide equal health benefits to both younger and older retirees, employers would be more likely to reduce benefits for younger retirees or eliminate benefits for all retirees than to increase benefits for older, Medicare-eligible retirees. Thus, the ADEA exemption is designed to eliminate any incentive for employers to cut retiree health benefits.
Pages: 6
Date: Updated April 15, 2008