Retirees face real COLA shortfall
- Social Security's 2026 cost-of-living increase is set at 2.8%, but that rise may not match retirees' actual expenses. - Analysts note this gap matters because healthcare and insurance costs, where retirees spend more, often rise faster than headline COLAs. - With Medigap premiums also jumping, retirees could see material purchasing-power erosion despite a modest COLA (fool.com; cbsnews.com).
Social Security checks for 2026 are rising 2.8%, but many retirees are facing bigger increases in the bills they pay most. (ssa.gov) The Social Security Administration said the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment is based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or CPI-W, and will lift the average retired-worker benefit to $2,071 a month from $2,015. (ssa.gov) That formula tracks inflation for working households, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics says medical care in the Consumer Price Index is weighted from out-of-pocket spending that includes premiums such as Medicare Part B and Part D. (bls.gov) Medicare costs are already moving higher in 2026. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services set the standard Part B premium at $202.90 a month for 2026, up from $185 in 2025. (cms.gov) Supplemental coverage is getting more expensive too. KFF says 12.5 million people in traditional Medicare had Medigap in 2022, and CBS News, citing KFF Health News reporting, said early-2026 insurer filings showed Plan G rate increases ranging from just over 12% to more than 26% in the first quarter. (kff.org; cbsnews.com) CBS reported one sharper example from Illinois, where broker John Jaggi said more than 80 customers in one Chubb Medicare supplement plan were hit with a 45% increase last August. Chubb did not respond to requests for comment, CBS said. (cbsnews.com) Traditional Medicare leaves beneficiaries exposed to cost sharing with no cap on out-of-pocket spending, KFF said, which is why Medigap remains a core backstop for many older adults who stay in the original program. (kff.org) Advocacy group The Senior Citizens League says Social Security benefits have lost 20% of their buying power since 2010, and estimates retired workers would need about $370 more a month to recover that lost value. (seniorsleague.org) The 2.8% increase is real on paper. For retirees paying higher Part B and Medigap premiums in 2026, the cash left after those deductions can still buy less than last year. (ssa.gov; cms.gov; cbsnews.com)
