Financing of the U.S. employee benefit system is a joint effort by employers and employees. Both employers and employees make payments to voluntary employee benefit programs that provide health insurance coverage, retirement benefits, and other benefits. In addition, employers and employees make...

In 1998, Americans received a gross total of about $1.4 trillion from major employee benefit programs. Retirement benefit payments of $780.4 billion accounted for 56.2 percent of total benefit payments. Of that amount, $369.4 billion was paid by the Social Security Old-Age, Survivors and...