Tepid COLA sparks potential Medicare spike

Federal Times: Federal employee unions and associations have been ringing alarms bells for months that a small cost-of-living-increase would be more harmful than none at all in 2017.

Barring congressional action, they may be right.

The September Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers—which measures the prices certain service and clerical worker groups face in the market—rose only 0.3 percent for the month, triggering higher Medicare Part B premiums for federal retirees.

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