AARP puts 'political self-interests' above members

AARP puts 'political self-interests' above members

Some senior citizens are dropping their membership with the AARP following the group's decision to endorse a new government health insurance program.

So says Jim Brown and Jody Brown of OneNewsNow...

Last week the American Medical Association and the AARP both endorsed the Democrats' House healthcare bill. AARP executive vice president Nancy LeaMond says the bill "meets our priorities for protecting Medicare, providing more affordable insurance for 50 to 64-year-olds, and reforming our healthcare system."

I have read and heard about members of the AMA who are voicing strong opposition to this bill, and from what I hear, the membership of AARP are up in arms about, too.

Last week the American Medical Association and the AARP both endorsed the Democrats' House healthcare bill. AARP executive vice president Nancy LeaMond says the bill "meets our priorities for protecting Medicare, providing more affordable insurance for 50 to 64-year-olds, and reforming our healthcare system."

Stuart Barton, president of the merican Seniors Association, an alternative to the AARP, believes the AARP supports the bill because it will make money off the legislation -- not because it will improve the health and wealth of seniors.

"The AARP has received over $2 billion in grants from the federal government over the past 15 or 20 years, and most people don't know that," Barton reports...
...The ASA president is not alone in his criticism of the AARP and its endorsement of government-run healthcare insurance. According to The Washington Post, three House Republicans have accused the AARP of putting its "political self-interests" ahead of seniors. Those lawmakers point to the organization's thriving business in marketing branded Medigap policies -- the demand for which is expected to increase as a result of Democratic proposals to slash reimbursements for Medicare Advantage...

This on the heels of the White House gag order on other insurance companies that were attempting to get the information to the public.

The report also notes that Republicans on Capitol Hill question the high salaries of some top AARP executives, who would not be subject to limits on insurance executives' pay included in the Senate Finance Committee's healthcare reform package. "AARP is lobbying for a government-run healthcare bill that will pad their own executives' pockets at the expense of its own members and other vulnerable seniors," a House Republican spokesman told the Post.

I have really lost respect for the AMA and AAPA in recent years, and our government is marching to a different drummer. Increasingly, the politico, bureaucracy, and executives are following the money and leaving "we the people" to pick up the crumbs. But is leading to "unintended consequences". Arrogance and greed make restless bed partners, and the bed bugs are hungry...