The CPI and long-term care

To the editor:

Re the article about long-term care (“Long-term care is on the ropes in New Hampshire”) in the Nov. 25-Dec. 8 issue:

The author implies a cost inflation rate of around 13.5 percent compared with payments of 4.5 percent increase, and uses the CPI as the basis for his illustration.

I receive Social Security benefits, and in researching the yearly increase from 2009 to 2015 (2016 is not yet available) I find that it was 8.5 percent, which is a long way from 13.5 percent.

Now I do understand that Mr. Williams wanted to make a point, but there is a difference between poetic license and misstatement of fact.

Donald Bradley

Rye