b'AGING IN THE 21ST CENTURYretirement of men aged 60 to 64, making themthe likelihood that couples retire together. For example, physical activity increases for some 5 to 7.5% more likely to retire than men in theirCouples are twice as likely to jointly retire whenbut decreases for others. Some eat out more; 50s. Robinson and Clark (2010) consider retire- the wife holds employer-provided health insur- others do more cooking at home. Some may ment transitions from 1992 to 2006 and showance (Kapur and Rogowski 2007). A recent studyfind themselves more engaged in hobbies and that those who have access to retiree health in- finds that men are less likely to retire if thatinterests; others may find themselves lacking surance are 21% more likely to leave their careermeans they or their wives would lose their stimulation. Two different lines of research in jobs than those without it, and having retireehealth insurance (Congdon-Hohman 2013). HRS examine these and other possible changes. coverage is associated with a higher probabilityAspects of public and private pension andOne line describes the impact of retirement on of retiring at age 62 (French and Jones 2011).insurance programs vary across countries, andphysical activity, changes in eating, and weight; Those with retiree health insurance save less, assome researchers are using information from theanother line examines retirement effects on they do not need to make provision for their ownHRS combined with HRS sister studies to takehealth and cognitive functioning.health care coverage (Clark and Mitchell 2014). advantage of the cross-country variation to study Comparing retirement for individuals whospecific program effects. In both England and theMost people seem to spendhave health insurance tied to their jobs with thoseUS, self-employed workers have different accessless money on eating outwho do not, French and Jones (2011) find thatto health insurance and pensions (Zissimopoulos those with employer-provided health insuranceet al. 2007). Wage and salary workers have a high- after retirement.are slightly more likely to work until age 65, aer retirement rate than the self-employed in both situation known as job lock. To get at this directly,countries, and this is largely due to retirementLifestyle Changes in RetirementHRS asks participants if they would like to retireincentives created by DB pensions. The retirementMany studies show that BMI tends to increase but plan to keep working because they need therate is higher in England compared to the US,with age. The average weight gain in our 50s is health insurance. About 75% of those who wereand the overall earlier age at retirement is partly1.30 BMI units, or about 10 pounds for the aver-62 to 65 and working in 2010 report job lock inaccounted for by the availability of public healthage woman and 15 pounds for the average man. this sense (Fisher et al. 2016). insurance. The question is whether or not some weight gain Spousal health insurance benefits canis due to lifestyle changes that can come with re-influence how couples decide to time their retire- Consequences of Retirement tirement. Longitudinal studies like the HRS allow ments. Households do a good job of maintainingRetirement is often thought of as a well-earnedresearchers to observe changes in weight and oth-coverage for both partners through a range ofrest at the end of a long work life, a time to relaxer things over time. Chung et al. (2007) use HRS options including purchasing private coverageand enjoy. Yet, work may have some benefits thatdata from 1992 to 2002 to look at changes in food when employer-provided insurance ends, usuallyare missed in retirement. Other changes thatspending with retirement. Most people seem to for the wife when the husband retires (Schimmelcome with retirement may have a downside. spend less money on eating out after retirement. 2006). Husbands tend to delay retirement untilAmong married couples, this is especially true some form of other insurance is available suchwhen the wife retires, which reduces household as Medicare or spousal benefits, but wives tendMen are less likely to retire if thatspending on eating out. This reduction in spend-to transition into the private insurance market,means they or their wives woulding on eating out leads to a small reduction in which can be costly. A similar study examines thelose their health insurance. BMI. Looking at the relationship between home effect of employer-provided health insurance onmeal preparation and changes in hours worked 32'