Why AARP really Backs the New Health Plan..
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A Change of Heart
Nov. 5, 2009
Until recently AARP was against Obama’s revolutionary reform of the Health Plan, but it seems that they have had a change of heart. According to the news wires AARP is to announce that they are now in favor of this Health reform because it will benefit seniors. Oh Really?
Let’s take a look at what is really behind the curtain. The Wall Street Journal says that 150,000 people canceled their membership from July 1 through Sept. 18 because they didn't agree with AARP's support for the health overhaul, however, during that same period they signed up 740,000 new members, because more people turned 50 and are looking for discounts that merchants offer to those with AARP cards.
AARP’s new change of heart will argue to its members that the massive costs of the public option will not increase the deficit, that the new plan will subsidize for medium-income seniors, will eliminate the “donut hole” coverage gap, and reduce the cost of medications.
The truth is that in the new health plan, Medicare Advantage will be cut by more than $100 billion over 10 years because the plans cost the government an average of 14% more per beneficiary than traditional Medicare. While many of these individuals currently rely on Medicare Advantage plans for the extra benefits, many would be forced to purchase supplemental Medigap policies once their existing Medicare Advantage plans are taken away from them.
Michelle Malkin addressed this in a recent article stating that: AARP received more than half a billion dollars in revenue from selling products like Medigap supplemental insurance policies. They generated $652.7 million in direct “royalties and fees,” In other words, under this new bill, seniors could pay as much as 20 cents more out of every premium dollar to fund “kickbacks” to AARP sponsored Medigap plans than Medicare Advantage plans. Therefore, if Medicare Advantage funding is reduced, and seniors are forced out of the program, they become potential buyers of the highly promoted and very profitable Medicare Supplement program sponsored by AARP.
In another article from Bloomberg, it states that AARP has great buying power, and people should be able to get the best deal but, a 71 year old man compared his car insurance rate from AARP with a dozen other companies, and found that he was paying twice the average. Why? The reason was because AARP was taking a cut out of his premium before sending the money to The Hartford Group, the provider of the coverage. In other words AARP receives a “kick back” for promoting certain companies, and these kick backs are built into the premiums they charge. AARP received $497.6 million in 2007.
Then AARP uses the monies to pay for activities such as publishing brochures about health care and consumer fraud, as well as paying down the $200 million bond debt that funded the association’s marble and brass-studded Washington headquarters. In addition, AARP holds clients’ insurance premiums for as long as a month and invests the money, which added $40.4 million to its revenue in 2007.
According to the Democrats the new Health Bill would be paid for by raising taxes on upper income earners and by cutting Medicare payments to health insurance companies, hospitals and other medical providers. There is also a bio fuel tax credit in the bill which will raise about $23 billion to help with the cost of the plan. But another look reveals that it’s seniors who will be paying for at least part of the plan.
So it will be AARP who benefits, not the seniors who trust AARP to give them reliable information and to steer them to the best companies with the lowest premiums. Although AARP has over the years built itself as a guard dog for seniors, it is after all, all about the money.
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Comments
My late father carried the AARP flag, he was a believer that they saved him untold dollars.
I never joined and never will. Anyone that supports this administration from hell can pretty much kiss my..........
Thanks for the insight.
Dear jiberish,
Terrific hub, as usual. I am so sick of all the deceit and corruption. It's everywhere. AARP is all about self interest and not the best interests of seniors.
jib,
I received a letter from my Medicare Advantage provider, Coventry Insurance in early October and they informed me they will be discontinuing the plan effective 12/31/2009. The plan cost me nothing beyond the $96.40/month for medicare B. Humana offers a plan in my area for an additional $30/month.
I initially joined AARP in 1996 but quit after one year. After reading one issue of their magazine I new they were a bunch of left wing loons.
AARP is a commercial organization masquerading as a retiree benevolent society.
It's time the US caught up with Europe on health care. From a distance it is hard to comprehend what all the fuss is about. If medicine was not an industry depending on profitting from sick people . . . But with "ifs" you could put Paris into a bottle, as the French saying goes.
Pamela, thank you for being my first visitor. I recieve AARP material daily, but don't plan to join. I think they provide a club for seniors, but not really in their best interest......
Morning POP, I'm heading over for breakfast. I have not checked all that AARP offeres, but if they get kick back, then I'm sure that more than one of their endorsements are more costly than just Insurance.
Tom, what's sad is that these organizations originally start out with good intentions......, and up up getting sucked in to the money and forget their members. Thank you for visiting.
Manly, I can hardly name anyone who isn't masquerating these days.
Sue, we don't want to catch up. We just need to tweek the system we have here, not overhaul the intire industry. Thank you for stopping in.
50 Caliber, my parents were cad carriers also until this year. Medicaire Advantage raised their premiums, my father saw right thru them. Thank you for your comments.
I never renewed this year and never will. Their interests and mine do not mix. It appears they are loosing credibility with seniors as they are cancelling or not renewing in droves.
Ehern, they are renewing, for every one person who cancels they sign up 3 more. For years they have been the place to go to get discounts, but when you check into it, there are no real discounts, and they will admit this on their web site. They say the companies they affiliate with are the best products, they never say the cheapest. Thank you for stopping this morning.
Jiberish, you are right on the money (no pun intended). I find this disturbing; money and not the good of the people wins again. So much for this plan covering ALL AMERICANS. All Americans except Seniors. Also,this would mean they are undermining one of their supposed goals of fighting Corporate fraud via Insurance greed. So much for reform.
Jib,
Seniors need to look into the 60 Plus organization. It is a conservative advocacy group for seniors they don't sell products to exploit their members. http://www.60plus.org/
Great article and information - thanks. AARP is in the process of redefining its market share. They will have to walk a very careful line as to appearing overly political during this health care debate.
Arthur
Arthur L. Ekrem
Jiberish, I guess my facts were wrong, I read that they had lost memberships because of the stance on health-care. Actually I read that a new seniors group was receiving thousands of cancelled AARP cards (cut up). In that same article AARP tried to spin it that the cancellations were part of a normal process. Either way, they won't get my renewal.
Jib, sorry but I just can't read too much with my failing eyesight.. I hope I don't repeat anything you laid out above, but I have been saying AARP lies since I have been writing these hubs. Believing anything they say is like believing anything Obama and his thugs (Pelosi Reid) have to say. They are only motivated by 'what's in it for me'!
AARP has too much of our money and this health bill will only give them more, That is what it is ALL about!!
This is another great hub.
Perhaps AARP should be investigated the same way as many of our other fradulent financial institutions have. I'll bet the top officials in the company are compensated very well with our hard earned money. Maybe another Madoff scandal?
Thanks for the info on AARP. Every organization has its webs to spin. And to feed off from the elderly. It is getting hard for elderly to find the right thing to do. Everyone is preying off from them.
Keep on hubbing!
321 Just who do you expect to investigate AARP, certainly not our elected and trusted honorable sworn to uphold the constitution of the USA leaders!! They are all in bed together doing 'who knows what' and guess what,, ACLU is also sleeping with our enemies. Once they take down Fox News channel, we may as well all sneak into Mexico!!
Thank you all for your great comments. I agree there is no investigation for AARP, they are just another American Company skimming what they can.
Maybe it's just me, but when you start following the money, you usually end up with the truth. Thank you all for stopping by all comments are welcome.
Thanks for the enlightenment Jib! I'm just about ready to buy into AARP's deceitful well paid ads, will have a talk with my hubby about his coverage.
Island, convince youself by comparing prices. It takes a few minutes on the internet, but before you jump on the AARP bandwagon it would be worth a few minutes of investigating. Thank you as always for your comments.
Jiberish: Below is the letter I sent to AARP when they sent me a solicitation to join!
AARP
I am in receipt of your recent request to register myself and my wife into your organization. I will say this as nicely as possible; much more civil than your organization deserves! We have no intention of becoming members now, in the near future or the distant future.
Just as the NEA has sacrificed the education of our children through its' continued support of Liberal Democrats, you have sold out the constituency you claim to represent. Your recent support of Obama Care is in and of itself an Obamination!
How could you support a bill that facilitates the federal government seizing control of 1/6 of this nation's GDP? Please if you do choose to respond, do not insult my intelligence by repeating the liberal lies which bombard the state controlled media each night. You know the ones; "if you like your present plan you can keep your present plan"; "this is not about rationing health care"; and my personal favorite, "the public option is just a small sliver of this overall plan"!
David Cerner, your legislative policy director, announced your organization will be running a national, multimillion-dollar TV ad campaign through mid-September that features an ambulance swerving from cars trying to block it as an announcer says, "Special interest groups are trying to block progress on health care reform, derailing the debate with myths and scare tactics." What special interest groups is he talking about? The only special interest groups involved in this fight are all lined up on the side of our Socialist President; the trial lawyers; the thug members of the SEIU Union and of course those Marxist groups such as Move on Dot Org as well as other Saul Alinsky disciples!
What exactly have the Democrats and in particular President Hussein Obama offered you for your soul. What constitutes your particular 30 pieces of silver such as was the case in the first great traitorous act! How could you possibly support such a socialist agenda which punishes your constituents most of all. Your members have worked all their life for what little savings they have managed to amass. Now, you openly support a Marxist that has publicly pledged to redistribute their wealth. The people you represent have no means available at their disposal to reacquire any more. Their productive careers are now at an end and you support an administration that wishes to take most of it away through confiscatory taxes.
All I can add is Shame on You; Shame, Shame on you!
Nice work Jib, this needed to be written. Unfortunately this article could be re-written over and over again by replacing AARP with "XXXX" non profit/charitable/watchdog organizations.
Jib,
This is a perfect example of how Americans will ALWAYS act in their own self interest. I wrote about that in my last hub:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Is-Political-Power-More-Im
You will find it very similar to what you said in many ways. Keep up the good work.
Patriot, I sure would like to see an answer to your letter, but I'm sure it will never finds it's way to the shining towers. Thanks, it was great.
CJ, we can not support these organizations, maybe that would make them reconsider.
Dan, you did a far better job explaining things in your Hub, thank you!
Great hub jib! I knew they were bad news when I heard about so many members leaving this past summer, no matter how hard they tried to spin it. There are a few forum threads about it too - complete with die hard believers in the Great Obama. But your hub fleshes it out beautifully. Thanks for the bigger picture :)
Madame X, your comments are always welcome. Thank you for visiting!
I have never trusted aarp and I never will. They have been hounding me to join for about 14 years. It will NEVER happen. They have an uncanny way of finding people. If the critters in Washington really want to find Bin Laden, all they need to do is give his name to aarp.
I always find your hubs interesting and easy to read :)
Larry,lol, He's probably registered!
10/11 update, World net Daily finaly caught up, they posted this yesterday:
real sellouts
VR.. AARP stand to make a lot more money if they go with the health plan. My parents Medicare Part B just went up. It's almost not worth having it. Thank you for visiting.
Pamela99 says:
2 months ago
Good morning Jiberish, Excellent hub. I have been a member of AARP for several years but think I should cancel. In this last year it seems that AARP is only about money not serving seniors. Fortunately, I don't have their insurance.