GOP.gov Policy News
September 10, 2009
Democrats Cut Back-Room Deals Benefiting AARP
Organization Gouges Seniors to Fund PR Blitz
“There’s an inherent conflict of interest….They’re ending up becoming very dependent on sources of income.” – Former AARP Executive Marilyn Moon, quoted in Bloomberg article
Speaker Pelosi recently called insurance companies “immoral villains,” and Sen. Jay Rockefeller derided their tactics as “rapacious,” yet the majority has simultaneously relied on an organization that has received billions of dollars in windfall profits from those same insurers as an “independent” source to support their government takeover of health care-AARP. The Democrat majority has even relied on AARP’s support for legislation (S. 1776) that would increase the federal debt by nearly $250 billion to fund physician reimbursements, even though the bill would raise seniors’ Medicare premiums by over $60 billion. AARP opposed unpaid-for legislation as recently as December for that very same reason. An analysis of Democrats’ rhetoric and actions provides evidence why AARP may have changed its position-in exchange for its support of a government takeover of health care, AARP has received special considerations regarding several provisions in health “reform” legislation that could benefit the organization quite handsomely…
