Do we need a price index for the elderly?

Munnell, Alicia Haydock, and Anqi Chen. “Do we need a price index for the elderly?”. Issue in Brief 15-18, Chestnut Hill, Mass.: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, October 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:104754.
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Abstract

The brief's key findings are: (1) The recent news of no Social Security COLA in 2016 will prompt some to argue that an inflation index for the elderly only would have shown a rise in prices. (2) Historically, an experimental index for the elderly (the CPI-E) has regularly risen more quickly than the broader index used for the COLA (the CPI-W). (3) However, since 2002, average CPI-W and CPI-E inflation have been virtually identical due mainly to slower growth in health costs. (4) If health cost growth stays modest, the two indexes may remain similar. But if it surges again, it may be time to use an index designed specifically for the elderly.

Title
Do we need a price index for the elderly?
Author
Munnell, Alicia Haydock
Chen, Anqi
School
Carroll School of Management
Discipline
Finance
Center
Center for Retirement Research
Genre
report
Date Issued
October 2015
Publisher
Center for Retirement Research at Boston College
Series Title
Issue in Brief
Series Number
15-18
Version Identification
Version of record.
Persistent Link
http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:104754
Use Restrictions
These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The publisher or original authors may retain copyright to the materials.
Subject
Social Security

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