Unfunded State and Local Healthcare Benefits, the Elephant in the Room?

Last week Bob Pozen, a Visiting Senior Lecturer here at MIT Sloan with a distinguished background in government, business and education gave an eye-opening lunch talk. The topic was “Other Post-Employment Benefits” or OPEBs—which is accounting jargon for the liabilities governments incur for retiree healthcare.

Here’s what he found:

“The 30 largest American cities had over $100 BILLION in retiree healthcare deficits in 2013, as estimated by the Pew Charitable Trust. In that year, New York City showed the most serious retiree healthcare deficits at $22,857 per household. The retiree healthcare deficits of the States were even larger in 2013 — a total of $528 BILLION according to the credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s.”

How have such enormous liabilities gone largely under the radar? One reason appears to be lack of transparency in how they are reported. Governments are not required to fund those liabilities, and in most places they don’t appear on balance sheets. (That omission will be corrected if GASB, the government accounting standards setter, prevails.) OPEBs also lack the constitutional protections of pension promises. That means cities like Detroit that run into financial trouble may find a way out of those obligations. In most places though, taxpayers will foot the bill unless benefits are renegotiated.

You can read more about OPEBs and Bob’s suggestions for how to address them at:

Real Clear Markets – “Unfunded Retired Healthcare Benefits are the Elephant in the RooM"

Boston Globe – “Boston Must Rein Retiree Health Plans"