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Principles to Balance Retirees' Needs and National Interests: 2025 Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index

" 'Pension systems with no or limited restrictions tend to perform better in the Index,' commented Tim Jenkins, lead author of the report and Partner at Mercer. 'This suggests that instead of imposing mandates, governments can focus on making investment options attractive, promoting transparency and sound governance, and fostering collaboration with the private sector to support sustainable retirement systems and economic growth.' "

Mercer Projects 2025 Retirement Plan Limits

"Mercer projects that every key Internal Revenue Code (IRC) limit for qualified retirement plans will likely rise from 2024 to 2025. The 2024 limits will reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) from the third quarter of 2023 to the third quarter of 2024.... [A table] shows Mercer's projections of the 2025 limits compared with the actual 2024 amounts."

Mercer Comment Letter Responding to House Committee RFI on Ways to Strengthen ERISA (PDF)

"Mercer recommends the committee direct the Congressional Research Service to publish an extensive report on ERISA preemption. Copies of the report should be sent to every state's insurance commissioners and legislators, as well as the leadership of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners  ... Mercer recommends building on recent transparency improvements to ensure that group health plan fiduciaries have access to the information they need to better fulfill existing fiduciary duties, including selecting and monitoring service providers that administer plan benefits."

Mercer Projects 2025 Retirement Plan Limits

"Mercer projects that every key Internal Revenue Code limit for qualified retirement plans will rise from 2024 to 2025. The 2025 limits will reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) from the third quarter of 2023 to the third quarter of 2024. This updated article reflects the final CPI-U value for September. IRS usually announces official limits for the coming year in late October or early November."

Mercer CEO Brings Employers' Legislative Priorities to Capitol Hill

"Mercer CEO and President Pat Tomlinson ... focused on two legislative priorities for employers: preserving ERISA's long-standing preemption and protecting current tax incentives for employer-sponsored healthcare and retirement plans. He talked about studies that have shown that for every $1.00 of tax expenditure, multiples of that amount are paid by employers to finance health and retirement benefits. He also discussed the importance of pharmacy data transparency to employers."

Mercer and ERIC Comment Letter to CMS on Reporting on Pharmacy Benefits and Prescription Drug Costs (PDF)

"Some employer-sponsored medical benefits (such as expatriate plans, standalone telehealth plans, and other unique benefit designs) provide insignificant coverage of prescription drugs. Requiring these plans to report prescription drug information would be statistically inconsequential and would not benefit the Departments.... Currently, there are many programs offered to employers called copay maximizer and accumulator programs that allow the value of these programs to be captured by plan sponsors.... The Departments' approach excludes this type of cost-sharing assistance from the definition of 'prescription drug rebates, fees and other remuneration.' "

Mercer Projects 2022 Retirement Plan Limits Will Soar Due to Inflation

"Almost every key Internal Revenue Code limit for qualified retirement plans will increase significantly in 2022, Mercer projects. The 2022 limits will reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) from the third quarter 2020 to the third quarter 2021. Using this measure, inflation will likely reach its highest level since 2008 -- possibly since 1990 -- and cause some limits to rise by the equivalent of up to three years' worth of ordinary increases."

ERIC and Mercer Response to EBSA RFI: Reporting on Pharmacy Benefits and Prescription Drug Costs (PDF)

"ERIC and Mercer request that the Departments consider issuing a delay for the Final Rule, in order to give employers time to negotiate and execute new contracts that will ensure they receive the required reporting information from all third-party vendors.... Plans and issuers will need at least 12 months to prepare the required data for submission to the Departments and [OPM].... Collecting data can be a daunting task for self-insured employers if they have carved out their pharmacy benefit to a PBM."

Mercer Submits Comments to DOL Supporting National Paid Leave Standard

"[T]he COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a uniform, nationwide approach to paid leave and put a spotlight on the patchwork of state and local requirements that arise in the absence of a federal solution. The comment letter explains that employers, particularly multijurisdiction employers, are struggling in a time of crisis to understand the compliance requirements of numerous different laws, while trying to support their workforce in a consistent and meaningful way."

Mercer Letter Asking Senate for Pension Relief (PDF)

"We therefore consider it vital that Congress provide longer-term financial relief to single-employer plan sponsors, and give employers the ability to direct financial resources toward sustaining their businesses and preserving current jobs. ... We urge Congress to give plan sponsors additional relief by: [1] Extending the amortization period ... Continuing interest rate relief beyond 2020."