JUST WHAT IS THE CHAINED CPI?
Apr 23rd, 2013 | By Sharon Shaw Elrod MSW EdD | Category: Senior Moments Blog, Social Security & MedicareEvery 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