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The Center for Economic and Policy Research's Dean Baker explains that in the proposed formula "the annual cost of living adjustment for Social Security benefits would be indexed to the chained consumer price index rather than the CPI for wage and clerical workers (CPI-W) to which it is now indexed."
\u201cFor all beneficiaries -- seniors, vets, children, the disabled -- Chained CPI is a benefits cut.\u201d— Rep Donna F Edwards (@Rep Donna F Edwards) 1355860934
The "Chained CPI" is a flawed strategy, The Nation's Bryce Covert writes, because it uses
[...] a measure that tries to take into account human behavior in reaction to price increases--specifically, the substitution for something cheaper if the price of what you normally buy goes up. If provolone costs a fortune, perhaps I'll switch to Swiss. Unfortunately for the elderly, they buy products that don't behave much like provolone. As Dean Baker explains, the elderly spend more of their money on health care, which has seen costs far outpace the costs of cheese, and are also generally less likely to be able to make substitutions on what they buy.
More reactions today on Twitter from progressives:
\u201cEnacting a chained CPI would cut #SocialSecurity benefits by $112 billion over 10 years. #budget #fiscalcliff\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1355833765
\u201cChained CPI explained: Old folks can sub cat food for turkey, so no need to capture turkey price inflation in the index\u201d— Ryan Grim (@Ryan Grim) 1355850409
\u201cThese politicians ran on avoiding cuts to benefits for people over 55, but "chained CPI hits everyone's benefits." - Soc. Sec. Works ExDir\u201d— \u201cthe reporter\u201d (@\u201cthe reporter\u201d) 1355851904
\u201cIf Obama-Boehner push through chained CPI deal, progressives should demand BLS construct full elderly index to know true rate of inflation.\u201d— Dean Baker (@Dean Baker) 1355837300
\u201c#ChainedCPI =a benefit cut pure & simple. With higher premiums seniors will have even less for their daily expenses #p2 https://t.co/ZgIk1a2u\u201d— Jan Schakowsky (@Jan Schakowsky) 1355864769
\u201cCall it chained CPI,but it's a cut in Social Security's earned benefits ...Bumping Up To Premium Catfood https://t.co/zoO7ScXF via @ourfuture\u201d— Katrina vandenHeuvel (@Katrina vandenHeuvel) 1355864962
\u201cThe Chained CPI: A Painful Cut in Social Security Benefits and a Stealth Tax Hike https://t.co/cE87YsHM\u201d— CEPR (@CEPR) 1355409470
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The Center for Economic and Policy Research's Dean Baker explains that in the proposed formula "the annual cost of living adjustment for Social Security benefits would be indexed to the chained consumer price index rather than the CPI for wage and clerical workers (CPI-W) to which it is now indexed."
\u201cFor all beneficiaries -- seniors, vets, children, the disabled -- Chained CPI is a benefits cut.\u201d— Rep Donna F Edwards (@Rep Donna F Edwards) 1355860934
The "Chained CPI" is a flawed strategy, The Nation's Bryce Covert writes, because it uses
[...] a measure that tries to take into account human behavior in reaction to price increases--specifically, the substitution for something cheaper if the price of what you normally buy goes up. If provolone costs a fortune, perhaps I'll switch to Swiss. Unfortunately for the elderly, they buy products that don't behave much like provolone. As Dean Baker explains, the elderly spend more of their money on health care, which has seen costs far outpace the costs of cheese, and are also generally less likely to be able to make substitutions on what they buy.
More reactions today on Twitter from progressives:
\u201cEnacting a chained CPI would cut #SocialSecurity benefits by $112 billion over 10 years. #budget #fiscalcliff\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1355833765
\u201cChained CPI explained: Old folks can sub cat food for turkey, so no need to capture turkey price inflation in the index\u201d— Ryan Grim (@Ryan Grim) 1355850409
\u201cThese politicians ran on avoiding cuts to benefits for people over 55, but "chained CPI hits everyone's benefits." - Soc. Sec. Works ExDir\u201d— \u201cthe reporter\u201d (@\u201cthe reporter\u201d) 1355851904
\u201cIf Obama-Boehner push through chained CPI deal, progressives should demand BLS construct full elderly index to know true rate of inflation.\u201d— Dean Baker (@Dean Baker) 1355837300
\u201c#ChainedCPI =a benefit cut pure & simple. With higher premiums seniors will have even less for their daily expenses #p2 https://t.co/ZgIk1a2u\u201d— Jan Schakowsky (@Jan Schakowsky) 1355864769
\u201cCall it chained CPI,but it's a cut in Social Security's earned benefits ...Bumping Up To Premium Catfood https://t.co/zoO7ScXF via @ourfuture\u201d— Katrina vandenHeuvel (@Katrina vandenHeuvel) 1355864962
\u201cThe Chained CPI: A Painful Cut in Social Security Benefits and a Stealth Tax Hike https://t.co/cE87YsHM\u201d— CEPR (@CEPR) 1355409470
The Center for Economic and Policy Research's Dean Baker explains that in the proposed formula "the annual cost of living adjustment for Social Security benefits would be indexed to the chained consumer price index rather than the CPI for wage and clerical workers (CPI-W) to which it is now indexed."
\u201cFor all beneficiaries -- seniors, vets, children, the disabled -- Chained CPI is a benefits cut.\u201d— Rep Donna F Edwards (@Rep Donna F Edwards) 1355860934
The "Chained CPI" is a flawed strategy, The Nation's Bryce Covert writes, because it uses
[...] a measure that tries to take into account human behavior in reaction to price increases--specifically, the substitution for something cheaper if the price of what you normally buy goes up. If provolone costs a fortune, perhaps I'll switch to Swiss. Unfortunately for the elderly, they buy products that don't behave much like provolone. As Dean Baker explains, the elderly spend more of their money on health care, which has seen costs far outpace the costs of cheese, and are also generally less likely to be able to make substitutions on what they buy.
More reactions today on Twitter from progressives:
\u201cEnacting a chained CPI would cut #SocialSecurity benefits by $112 billion over 10 years. #budget #fiscalcliff\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1355833765
\u201cChained CPI explained: Old folks can sub cat food for turkey, so no need to capture turkey price inflation in the index\u201d— Ryan Grim (@Ryan Grim) 1355850409
\u201cThese politicians ran on avoiding cuts to benefits for people over 55, but "chained CPI hits everyone's benefits." - Soc. Sec. Works ExDir\u201d— \u201cthe reporter\u201d (@\u201cthe reporter\u201d) 1355851904
\u201cIf Obama-Boehner push through chained CPI deal, progressives should demand BLS construct full elderly index to know true rate of inflation.\u201d— Dean Baker (@Dean Baker) 1355837300
\u201c#ChainedCPI =a benefit cut pure & simple. With higher premiums seniors will have even less for their daily expenses #p2 https://t.co/ZgIk1a2u\u201d— Jan Schakowsky (@Jan Schakowsky) 1355864769
\u201cCall it chained CPI,but it's a cut in Social Security's earned benefits ...Bumping Up To Premium Catfood https://t.co/zoO7ScXF via @ourfuture\u201d— Katrina vandenHeuvel (@Katrina vandenHeuvel) 1355864962
\u201cThe Chained CPI: A Painful Cut in Social Security Benefits and a Stealth Tax Hike https://t.co/cE87YsHM\u201d— CEPR (@CEPR) 1355409470