The debate around "Other postemployment benefits" is a relatively new one since states and municipalities have only been required to report their OPEB liabilities since 2008. However, in that short time it has become clear that OPEBs represent a large financial burden and may even pose a larger problem than pension benefits themselves. In 2010, the total unfunded liability for state OPEBs was assessed to be $590 billion.The Pew Center on States, "The trillion dollar gap: Underfunded state retirement systems and the roads to reform", February 2010, http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/pcs_assets/2010/trilliondollargapunderfundedstateretirementsystemsandtheroadstoreformpdf.pdf In 2013 alone, OPEBs cost states $48 billion, which represented 4% of state-generated revenue.Pew Charitable Trusts, "State Retiree Health Plan Spending: An examination of funding trends and plan provisions", May 11, 2016, http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2016/05/state-retiree-health-plan-spending Unfunded OPEB liabilities account for up to 28% of total current unfunded pension liabilities.Alicia H. Munnell and Jean-Pierre Aubry, "AN OVERVIEW OF THE PENSION/OPEB LANDSCAPE", October 2016, http://crr.bc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/wp_2016-11.pdf
