House Health Care bill gets AARP support.

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
20,984
3
0
As health care reform limps along, the house is finally moving forward on an actual bill.

And now that bill has gotten AARP support.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091105/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul

It may now throw a monkey wrench into the GOP FUD on health care reform, especially if democrats force apples to apples comparisons between the existing and new proposed reforms.

And I predict big business, at least the set of companies that still provide health care coverage for employees, will start to see ways to cut their health care costs and therefore climb aboard.

And an AARP endorsement will certainly not hurt. After all, Senior citizens have the clearest view of how screwed up private for profit insurance companies are.

Without a filibuster the house does not have in its rules, the GOP may find the house bill unstoppable, but as the start of the 11/2010 dawns, the Senate will be under increasing pressure to show the American people some thing positive.
 

Fear No Evil

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2008
5,922
0
0
Will congress be a part of the plan they are crafting yet? If the criticism is FUD then surely they will opt-in!
 

monovillage

Diamond Member
Jul 3, 2008
8,444
1
0
From wikipedia

"Criticism

In an editorial column in the Los Angeles Times, critic Dale Van Atta wrote that AARP does unauthorized lobbying for its membership, and lobbies against the best interests of its membership. Van Atta says that by lobbying for the above-mentioned Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, AARP leaders betrayed the membership.[22]

According to an Annenberg Public Policy Center report, critics have said AARP had a conflict of interest in supporting the Act, because AARP “derives income from the sale of health and life insurance policies,” by licensing its brand to insurance dealers such as New York Life,[23] and would benefit financially from passage of the legislation.[24]

BusinessWeek magazine says that in the past questions have arisen about whether AARP's commercial interests may conflict with those of its membership, and characterizes many of the funds and insurance policies that AARP markets as providing considerably less benefit than seniors could get on their own.[25]

At present, there are two affiliated organizations: the AARP Foundation which operates on a non-profit basis and AARP Services Inc. which is managed wholly for profit. The AARP Foundation runs programs on: free tax preparation and counseling, work training for older people of low income, training of volunteers on matters concerning the elderly, crime prevention and safe driving. AARP Services Inc. offers: Medicare supplemental health insurance, discounts on prescription drugs and consumer goods, entertainment and travel packages, long-term care insurance and automobile, home and life insurance.[26]

Per AARP's 2008 Consolidated Financials, it was paid $652,000,000 in royalties from insurance companies that sold products referred by AARP. Per those same financials AARP received an additional $120,000,000 for the ads placed in its publications. Here's the link: http://www.aarp.org/aarp/About_AARP/annual_reports/"

Speaks for itself.
 

cubby1223

Lifer
May 24, 2004
13,518
42
86
The house bill is now over 2,000 pages of incomprehensible language. I highly doubt AARP understands it. I know Lemon Law doesn't understand it. Anyone claiming to is full of sh*t.

I've never understood why it's not wise to make sure the bill actually achieves the intended goals.

"private for profit insurance"

Spoken as if the government is better?

Here in Obama's home of Chicago, the city is in such bad financial shape they've decided to reduce their spending on the city's Christmas tree - even with their cuts they will *still* be spending $150,000 to erect *one* tree in Chicago! Oh yeah, I have total faith in government's abilities to control costs...

Back to AARP, how much you want to bet the Obama Administration offered them some underhanded deal to win their endorsement?
 

woodie1

Diamond Member
Mar 7, 2000
5,947
0
0
I quit the AARP back when Clinton tried UHC and they endorsed it before anyone had a chance to read the proposal. I have serious doubts about AARP representing seniors anymore. They're in it for the money like everyone else.
 

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
I quit the AARP back when Clinton tried UHC and they endorsed it before anyone had a chance to read the proposal. I have serious doubts about AARP representing seniors anymore. They're in it for the money like everyone else.

My parents quit AARP too. They are in it for themselves, not seniors.
 

PokerGuy

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
13,650
201
101
AARP represents nothing but it's own financial interests. All it means is they've figured out how to get the most money, and apparently it's by supporting this horrible monstrosity of a bill. Nothing new there, slime being slime.
 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,816
83
91
if the AARP supports it, I have to assume that this bill is fundamentally bad and going to screw everyone but the elderly.
 

Genx87

Lifer
Apr 8, 2002
41,095
513
126
AARP worked against SS reform when it didnt even affect anybody below the age of 40. AARP supports a bill that directly cuts Medicare funding that does affect their membership.

Sounds like a great organization.
 

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
AARP worked against SS reform when it didnt even affect anybody below the age of 40. AARP supports a bill that directly cuts Medicare funding that does affect their membership.

Sounds like a great organization.


That sad thing is it once was a good organization back in the early to mid 1990's. Then it went all to hell.
 

senseamp

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,786
6,188
126
AARP worked against SS reform when it didnt even affect anybody below the age of 40. AARP supports a bill that directly cuts Medicare funding that does affect their membership.

Sounds like a great organization.

Bush's SS reform is a dumb idea, and kudos to AARP.
 

Genx87

Lifer
Apr 8, 2002
41,095
513
126
Bush's SS reform is a dumb idea, and kudos to AARP.

Clearly because SS will run a deficit this year a full decade before it was supposed to according to the CBO in 2005.

However the point is AARP also had financial reasons to oppose reform in SS but used fear tactics on the elderly to get it squashed when the elderly would not have been affected. Then they turn around 5 years later and support a bill that will directly affect the elderly with medicare cuts. The organization is crooked.
 

woolfe9999

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2005
7,164
0
0
AARP worked against SS reform when it didnt even affect anybody below the age of 40. AARP supports a bill that directly cuts Medicare funding that does affect their membership.

Sounds like a great organization.

The cuts only affect those who use Medicare Advantage, and the bill also closes the donuthole on Medicare Part D. So it's a mixed bag for seniors, not really the way you're characterizing it.

- wolf
 

senseamp

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,786
6,188
126
Clearly because SS will run a deficit this year a full decade before it was supposed to according to the CBO in 2005.

However the point is AARP also had financial reasons to oppose reform in SS but used fear tactics on the elderly to get it squashed when the elderly would not have been affected. Then they turn around 5 years later and support a bill that will directly affect the elderly with medicare cuts. The organization is crooked.

Future retirees would be effected. Kudos to AARP to having some foresight.
 

Nemesis 1

Lifer
Dec 30, 2006
11,366
2
0
As health care reform limps along, the house is finally moving forward on an actual bill.

And now that bill has gotten AARP support.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091105/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul

It may now throw a monkey wrench into the GOP FUD on health care reform, especially if democrats force apples to apples comparisons between the existing and new proposed reforms.

And I predict big business, at least the set of companies that still provide health care coverage for employees, will start to see ways to cut their health care costs and therefore climb aboard.

And an AARP endorsement will certainly not hurt. After all, Senior citizens have the clearest view of how screwed up private for profit insurance companies are.

Without a filibuster the house does not have in its rules, the GOP may find the house bill unstoppable, but as the start of the 11/2010 dawns, the Senate will be under increasing pressure to show the American people some thing positive.

BS AARP members didn't vote on this . AARP members are pissed off at AARP