I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1422
To require the establishment of a Consumer Price Index for Elderly Con-
sumers to compute cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medi-
care benefits under titles II and XVIII of the Social Security Act.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 14, 1999
Mr. SANDERS (for himself, Mr. NEY, Mr. BORSKI, Mr. FILNER, Mr. WEXLER,
Mr. OLVER, Mr. WEINER, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. SHOWS, Mr. HILLIARD,
Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. BROWN of California, Mrs.
CHRISTENSEN, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. RO-
MERO-BARCELO´, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. STARK, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. NADLER,
Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. OWENS, Mr. ABER-
CROMBIE, Mr. FARR
of California, Ms. NORTON, Ms. LEE, Mr.
LATOURETTE, Mr. COYNE, and Mr. BONIOR) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in
addition to the Committees on Commerce, and Education and the Work-
force, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each
case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of
the committee concerned
A BILL
To require the establishment of a Consumer Price Index
for Elderly Consumers to compute cost-of-living increases
for Social Security and Medicare benefits under titles
II and XVIII of the Social Security Act.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Consumer Price Index
for Elderly Consumers Act’’.
SEC. 2. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR ELDERLY CON-
SUMERS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Bureau of Labor Statistics
of the Department of Labor shall prepare and publish an
index for each calendar month to be known as the ‘‘Con-
sumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers’’ that indicates
changes over time in expenditures for consumption which
are typical for individuals in the United States who are
62 years of age or older.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (a) shall apply
with respect to calendar months ending on or after July
31 of the calendar year following the calendar year in
which this Act is enacted.
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary to carry out the provisions of this section.
SEC. 3. COMPUTATION OF COST-OF-LIVING INCREASES.
(a) AMENDMENTS TO TITLE II.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 215(i) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)) is amended—
(A) in paragraph (1)(G), by inserting be-
fore the period the following: ‘‘, and, solely with
respect to any monthly insurance benefit pay-
‘‘for a year is’’, and by inserting after ‘‘fifth
month of the accounting year’’ the following:
‘‘, and (ii) for accounting years ending after
October 1 of such calendar year, the cap
amount determined under clause (i) for the last
accounting year referred to in such clause, in-
creased or decreased by the same percentage as
the percentage increase or decrease, respec-
tively, in the medical care expenditure category
(or corresponding category) of the Consumer
Price Index for Elderly Consumers, published
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from March
of such calendar year to the fifth month of the
accounting year’’;
(B) in section 1821(c)(2)(C)(ii)(II), by
striking ‘‘consumer price index for all urban
consumers (all items; United States city aver-
age)’’ and insert ‘‘Consumer Price Index for El-
derly Consumers’’;
(C) in section 1833(h)(2)(A)(i), by striking
‘‘Consumer Price Index for All Urban Con-
sumers (United States city average)’’ and insert
‘‘Consumer Price Index for Elderly Con-
sumers’’;
(D) in section 1833(i)(2)(C), by striking
‘‘consumer price index for all urban consumers
(U.S. city average)’’ and insert ‘‘Consumer
Price Index for Elderly Consumers’’;
(E) in section 1834(a)(14)(D), by striking
‘‘consumer price index for all urban consumers
(United States city average)’’ and insert ‘‘Con-
sumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers’’;
(F) in section 1834(h)(4)(A)(vi), by strik-
ing ‘‘consumer price index for all urban con-
sumers (United States city average)’’ and insert
‘‘Consumer Price Index for Elderly Con-
sumers’’;
(G) in section 1834(l)(3)(A), by striking
‘‘consumer price index for all urban consumers
(U.S. city average)’’ and insert ‘‘Consumer
Price Index for Elderly Consumers’’;
(H) in section 1834(l)(3)(B), by striking
‘‘consumer price index for all urban consumers
(U.S. city average)’’ and insert ‘‘Consumer
Price Index for Elderly Consumers’’;
(I) in section 1842(s)(1), by striking ‘‘con-
sumer price index for all urban consumers
(United States city average)’’ and insert ‘‘Con-
sumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers’’;
(J) in section 1882(p)(11)(C)(ii), by strik-
ing ‘‘Consumer Price Index for all urban con-
sumers (all items; U.S. city average)’’ and in-
sert ‘‘Consumer Price Index for Elderly Con-
sumers’’; and
(K) in section 1886(h)(5)(B), by striking
‘‘Consumer Price Index for All Urban Con-
sumers (United States city average)’’ and insert
‘‘Consumer Price Index for Elderly Con-
sumers’’.
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made
by paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to deter-
minations made for periods ending after December
31 of the second calendar year following the cal-
endar year in which this Act was enacted.
Æ