Every time a new concept surfaces on the national scene, there is a flurry of articles about it on the Internet. Some of what is written is obviously biased toward one political camp or another. Such is the case with the chained CPI. We thought trying to take a look at it as objectively as possible might be helpful.

First, the chained CPI is part of President Obama’s 2014 budget plan as it relates to Social Security.

Second, a number of government programs (like Social Security) calculate benefits based on the rate of inflation. Inflation is a measure of changes in the cost of living, which typically increases to one degree or another annually. There are different formula used for calculating changes in the cost of

Quick Links to Helpful Information It occurred to SeniorCitizenJournal.com editors that our readers might find online links to Social Security resources and information helpful. The links with a brief description are provided here: Factual (unbiased) information about Social Security–JustFacts.com Online access to Social Security information, resources and your personal account // Official website of the [...]

SCJ talked about the chained CPI last week in this column.  SeniorCitizenJournal.com explained the chained CPI in terms most of us seniors can understand. There is some more to think about in regard to this proposal to help address federal deficit issues.// We already said why the notion is bad for seniors: The federal deficit [...]

Understanding the Chained-CPI Our elected representatives in Washington DC are looking at changing the consumer price index (CPI) because they can lower it by about 0.3 percentage points per year. Such a change will reduce Social Security benefits. A recent AARP post said a “…typical beneficiary –with an annual income of roughly $20,000–will lose over [...]

The Evolution of Social Security SeniorCitizenJournal.com editors did an interesting Internet search on Social Security recently, and found several noteworthy quotes from previous presidents. Here they are.// Dwight D Eisenhower: Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party [...]

Medicare Benefits Explained The Medicare program is fairly easy to explain and understand, for the most part.  It is a federally funded health care program primarily for senior citizens and the disabled; other citizens in special categories also qualify for benefits.// We thought it might help SCJ readers if we explained some not-so-easy-to-understand parts of [...]

Social Security Does NOT Cause Budget Issues For those of you who are regular visitors on seniorcitizenjournal.com, this article will be no surprise to you.  We’ve been writing about Social Security and the federal deficit for a couple of years now.  Social Security does not create problems for the federal budget, and it does not [...]

Those Weird Numbers on Your Medicare Card When seniors apply for their Medicare card, it is sent to them with their Social Security number as the identifier, plus a code. Most of us have an ‘A’ after our SSN.  Like this:  xxx-xx-xxxxA.  But some people have strange numbers and we were recently asked about it.  [...]

Review Medicare Statements Carefully Every caregiver with responsibility for checking and paying bills for elderly loved ones has a responsibility to check for Medicare fraud. You might be thinking, “How in the world do I do that?”  This true story might help you determine what you can do.// Eight months ago, when an elderly loved [...]

Calculate Your Benefits The question facing Baby Boomers after 62 or 66/67 years of age is “Should I start my Social Security benefits now or should I wait?” Sixty-two is still the minimum age for receiving Social Security benefits; the benefit is reduced if you begin to receive benefits before full retirement age.  Full retirement [...]