# No COLA Increase for 2016



## Txsteader (Aug 22, 2005)

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/no-cost-of-living-increase-for-social-security-in-2016-2015-10-15



> WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The downside to low inflation: Americans who collect Social Security won't get an increase in their monthly checks in 2016. Annual increases in Social Security are made every year based on changes in a component of the consumer price index known as CPI-W. The index fell 0.4% in the period used by the government to calculate the annual increase in cost-of-living adjustments, the Labor Department reported Thursday.


Historically, SS beneficiaries have received increases every year since 1975 (when increases were automatic w/o Congressional vote), with the exception of 3 years; 2010, 2011 & 2016.

http://www.ssa.gov/news/cola/automatic-cola.htm


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

This really sucks. Retired people don't spend the same way they used to spend. We don't drive to work anymore, so we don't benefit much from low furl prices. Moreover, we are impacted by rising medical costs more than younger people. Groceries take a larger part of out budget than it used to, and you can see food prices rising.

They really need to change the way inflation is calculated for seniors.


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## Txsteader (Aug 22, 2005)

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/co...f-elderly-inflation-2015-10-15?dist=afterbell


> But the Labor Department also calculates an inflation measure called the CPI-E, which is the consumer-price index for Americans 62 years of age and older. That grew 0.6% during the same period.
> 
> Put another way, Social Security recipients are missing out on an as much as $44 a month due to the way inflation is measured.
> 
> In fact, the elderly inflation measure has outgained the CPI-W for the last four years, using the same third quarter-to-third quarter time period.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

So the news was saying because gas is cheap that's why there was no increase?

What happens when it shoots thru the roof? Then what?


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Wait... are we all not seeing the reduction in groceries and shipping with the negative fuel cost fees?

Was not part of the increase in groceries the fuel surcharge fee?


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## Txsteader (Aug 22, 2005)

kasilofhome said:


> Wait... are we all not seeing the reduction in groceries and shipping with the negative fuel cost fees?
> 
> Was not part of the increase in groceries the fuel surcharge fee?


I was thinking the same thing. Funny how those grocery prices don't come back down when gas prices fall.


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## pixiedoodle (Sep 24, 2014)

every week there are price increases on a jillion food items at our local stores. i do not believe i have NOT noticed an increase no matter how small for the past 3 or 4 yrs. I LOVE Eggnog. so every fall i am excited when it comes to the stores. last year is was nearing $2. a qt. yesterday I noticed they had it in the milk case & it was $3.29 per qt.!!!!! now i LOVE eggnog & I love to mix it 1/2 & 1/2 with minute made OJ. I even freeze it after christmas season & enjoy it in the summer. however there is no possible way that i can afford nor will i be able to purchase even one qt. this year at that price. not sure why they do not take in consideration food prices & medicine prices when figuring SS for us old folks. both have increased greatly this year. i take 8 medications a day & believe me they are NOT going down in price! i have good insurance but they are still getting so high, & my medicare supplement plans for ins & meds have gone up more than $50 a month for the past 6 yrs. i haven't received my "F" plan supplement increase yet but they told me to expect another increase this yr. the drug plan went up nearly $20 a month already & my c-pays for the meds have increase a good deal this yr. as well. 
you can never save enough for retirement & falling apart from old age issues that's for sure.


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

Maybe SS will be around when I get to 67 or whatever the limit is by the time I reach it. I will just keep working my investments on the business plan I devised in my 20s and keep revising every few years , work my garden and tend my yearly slaughter stock to fill the freezer and hope the price of tushy cushy toilet paper, dog food, coffee, flour and cornmeal stays affordable as those are what I buy on my quarterly trips to the store.

When I retired on my investments I decided if I ever did reach the age to draw SS I could use it to help finance my vacations or consider it money to burn as I was taught it never was intended to be a source of living income and I still know retirees in the 70s and older who are still retired on their investments they nest egged while they were working their 30 years to get their "gold watch".


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## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

Shrek, may I say you are a wise man?


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## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

Yep, SS is to be to help out in retirement not your source of total income. I think was Money Magazine that had some good articles. Said one would need SS, pension, savings and maybe a part time job. 

Yes I would liked to have had a raise in SS. My Med Ins will come up $9.10 a month this coming year. I will be 84 in about two weeks.. Seems older you get more medical expense. Medical costs come up and that needs to be planned in to retirement. 

I am trying to cut some expenses. Like change brands of snack crackers, Ritz is $2.50 and Dollar store $1 and just 12 ox where Ritz is 13.7. Dollar store much cheaper and I got a box to try and taste is very good. Tastes matters. 

I have done things to cut costs. My food shopping is for pretty basic stuff. Some things too high to buy. On diets and some things I can not eat. I shop thrift shops.


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## Michael W. Smith (Jun 2, 2002)

I just don't understand this.

I'm only 48, so figure I have another 20 years of working. I HOPE SS is there once I retire, but also realize between now and then in order to keep it solvent, changes will be made - either raising the retirement age again, or cutting benefits, or something.

I look around our area, where most prices have gone up over the past year - groceries, insurance, utilities, etc. School district is having to raise property taxes, because they have no money, County is raising property taxes because they have no money, the State hasn't passed their budget yet, but are talking about raising taxes because they have no money, and we sure KNOW the Federal Government doesn't have any money.

So, what on earth is a retired person in our area to do? They can't hardly afford things now, and now no raise in SS, but property taxes are increasing.

Just makes no sense to me.


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

Most areas offer retirees over the age of 65 property tax reductions or exemptions on their primary residence provided that their monthly retirement income isn't high double/ low triple digits.


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Nevada said:


> This really sucks. Retired people don't spend the same way they used to spend. We don't drive to work anymore, so we don't benefit much from low furl prices. Moreover, we are impacted by rising medical costs more than younger people. Groceries take a larger part of out budget than it used to, and you can see food prices rising.
> 
> They really need to change the way inflation is calculated for seniors.



Funny you should mention that, this was on NPR a few days ago.
They already did a special "senior" index........and concluded it came out with almost the same results.:hohum:

Yeah, I don't believe it either.

http://www.npr.org/2015/10/16/44909...ll-receive-no-cost-of-living-increase-in-2016


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## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

Unexpected things come up--that can wipe out your nest egg in a hurry--Such as brain cancer for 12 years, things that you never expect to happen to you as you plan a rosy future-together.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Shrek said:


> Most areas offer retirees over the age of 65 property tax reductions or exemptions on their primary residence provided that their monthly retirement income isn't high double/ low triple digits.


Nevada had that, then 4 years ago it ended.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/22059150/starr.gif


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Nevada said:


> Nevada had that, then 4 years ago it ended.
> 
> https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/22059150/starr.gif


Doomed by demographics. Which is what typically happens with targeting who pays and who gets the benefits seperately.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

where I want to said:


> Doomed by demographics. Which is what typically happens with targeting who pays and who gets the benefits seperately.


They seemed to blame the recession.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

I'm curious if the _next_ COLA will be eaten up by the medicare part B increases.


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## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

Harry,
It could be. I have not even looked at the Medicare handbook for next year. Rather deducts are more? I am on RM so just looked at that. RM has come up . 

Areas are different in what they offer seniors. Here we have a senior bus 4 days a week around town. Small town. Free bus. Then Thursday it goes out of town to cities. There are some trips just out and some for shopping. My doctor quit having Thursday hours and that has messed me up. My son takes me and I pay gas and lunch. Ends up 180 mile round trip but I shop and such . Only twice a year normally, That is the bad part here with no doctors but at the clinic. The doctors take turns and work every other week. Nice new hospital. ER is run 24/7. See what your county and such offers. Bus goes county and senior center. They eat there usually 4 days a a week. $2.50. Mobile food pantry at a city over east once a month. 

I had my blood test yesterday and by going to hospital lab I have no copay. They do better job on jabbing me. I am back to once a month. Hope I can stay that way.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Harry Chickpea said:


> I'm curious if the _next_ COLA will be eaten up by the medicare part B increases.


Well this next year many will already see a increase.
In addition to retirees' Social Security income remaining flat, approximately 30% of Medicare beneficiaries will face an increase of 52% in their Part B premiums under current law.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

arabian knight said:


> Well this next year many will already see a increase.
> In addition to retirees' Social Security income remaining flat, approximately 30% of Medicare beneficiaries will face an increase of 52% in their Part B premiums under current law.


That's true, but that's only for people who have $85,000 or more in income. I don't have that problem...


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Nevada said:


> That's true, but that's only for people who have $85,000 or more in income. I don't have that problem...


No, you never have a problem with the gov't, until it gets in YOUR pocket.
Typical of the world today.
You have to recognize when something is wrong and fight it, waiting for the "wrong" to only affect you means when the time comes, no one will be at your side for the battle.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Nevada said:


> That's true, but that's only for people who have $85,000 or more in income. I don't have that problem...


There are many who do not have social security benefits and pay for their medicare. They may get a much smaller pension than what you have yet have no protection against increases. Just like Social Security is largely tax exempt but pensions based on non covered work are not.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

where I want to said:


> There are many who do not have social security benefits and pay for their medicare. They may get a much smaller pension than what you have yet have no protection against increases. Just like Social Security is largely tax exempt but pensions based on non covered work are not.


Are you criticizing me for having a career and acquiring retirement benefits?


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Nevada said:


> Are you criticizing me for having a career and acquiring retirement benefits?


Of course not- I never even thought of you as a person having a career.
But it as the same ol' song- your view seems to limited to your situation. There are a large numbers of people who paid only into Medicare due to SS exempt status like school teachers, state employees, ministers, etc. Or people whose benefits are totally offset. They could have worked and really had a career and paid in yet even more than others but the law did not give them the advantage.
They may very likely have less income than you but due to the way the law was written, they pay while you don't. 
Is that fair? Just like when your medical insurance was subsidized by people with an actually lower income level?


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Laura Zone 10 said:


> So the news was saying because gas is cheap that's why there was no increase?
> 
> What happens when it shoots thru the roof? Then what?


Then, according to how they figure it, there is still no inflation because you use less of it. 


I stopped at ACE hardware and bought a new seal for our old National (now Presto) canner. Used the one we had in stock, bought 2-3 years ago because I knew the one in it was going, but the other day we were canning the last of the green beans and just couldn't get it to seal anymore.

Price sticker on old box: $6.69

Price on new one: $9.99

Same Presto brand, same hardware store.

But no, there is no inflation, is there ?


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## KsSunflower (Jul 12, 2015)

Shrek said:


> Most areas offer retirees over the age of 65 property tax reductions or exemptions on their primary residence provided that their monthly retirement income isn't high double/ low triple digits.


Kansas has a Homesteaders Act. People who qualify get up to all of their property tax refunded. It is based on age, income, disability, etc. 

If you are not aware of it, check into the lieap program. Federal energy assistance program. Kansas has it as well as other states. Based on qualifiers it can be a great help with heating/cooling costs.


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## Txsteader (Aug 22, 2005)

I've noticed that the 3 lb cans of coffee @ Walmart are now just over 1 1/2 lbs. 

And I swear that grade A large eggs are now medium size. So noticeable that I had to check and make sure I'd bought large eggs. Thought maybe it was a fluke but 2nd carton was the same. :-/


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## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

On my diet no caffeine and I buy Pero and it jumped up. Snack crackers and graham crackers have came up. Cereal, shredded wheat has too. Milk by gallon too. Living out here so far from cities do not hit sales much. Eggs went up. Quilts batts really jumped up. Double. $16 at Walmart. ? Gas is cheaper her but never low as other places. I do not drive but pay gas for trips to doctor twice a year and to go to older son for Thanksgiving. That is like $300 I spend on gas. I donate a $1 a trip on cenior bus. 

I have trimmed my bills what I can and trying to trim more. I can buy snack crackers at Dollar store now for $1 and almost same wt at Ritz. Taste is good to me. If they keep having them. 

If I can cut a little here and there. I get to go to material store at Thanksgiving. I do not plan to buy much this year.


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