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Re:How Far Does $1 from 1999 Go Today? by jtbayly on Monday October 16, 2023 @07:27AM (#37898247)
Good news! Health insurance has dropped by 37% in the last year, according to the CPI.

I tried to ask HN about this a day or so ago…

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37880185

Re:How Far Does $1 from 1999 Go Today? by netrus on Monday October 16, 2023 @08:52AM (#37899156)
It's an artifact of how the measurement is made, as it accounts for insurance profits. While a good proxy in normal times, corona sent this measure into a wild rollercoaster-ride. However, it is generally a good idea not to change the method of measuring because you do not like the measures in the short term. The most important measure is the headline number (and MoM is more informative than YoY in these times), as it is the basis for actual politics. The headline number absorbs a lot of craziness in the underlying measures.
Re:How Far Does $1 from 1999 Go Today? by jtbayly on Monday October 16, 2023 @01:37PM (#37903364)
It's included in CPI, though, right? If so, doesn't that mean this "artifact" has improperly affected the CPI making it look like inflation hasn't been as bad this year as it actually was?