"Seniors are going to have higher costs in Medicare. Because of the cuts in Medicare, they are going to have ever more need for these Medigap policies. So the AARP, therefore, will be able to make even more money off of us," Turner explained. "The legislation both kills competition that the AARP has with these Medicare Advantage programs, and it boosts the number of people who need the Medigap insurance because Medicare is going to become an even more deficient program than it is now if you take half a trillion dollars out of it."

Following the money trail

According to the AARP website, the group promises seniors it will be a "voice in Washington and in your state, representing you on issues like Medicare, Social Security and consumer safety."

But the majority of the money AARP collects doesn't come from its annual $16 membership dues.

AARP's 2008 consolidated financial statements reveal the organization earns far more income from selling supplementary insurance to members than it takes in from yearly member fees.

The group received nearly $653 million in royalties from private insurance companies that sold products referred by AARP in 2008. It also received an additional $120 million for the ads placed in its publications.

By contrast, AARP collected $249 million in membership dues last year.

While the organization claims to represent almost 40 million Americans over age 50 nearly as many members as the U.S. Roman Catholic Church the group has been accused of inflating that number by automatically giving spouses and "domestic partners" free memberships. In reality, $249 million in annual dues would indicate members who actually sought and paid for memberships in 2008 may have numbered closer to 15.6 million.

"many members shredded their membership cards"

Really? How many?

Oh, wait, I know:

THECHUMPEL finally figures out AARP is a business which he was too brainwashed to notice when they supported the give away to BigPharma in the Medicare Part D drug bill passed by the Rethugs.
Hey, some folks are slower than others. What is really funny is the way he posts the fear provoking talking points for seniors as if he gave a crap about seniors.

"A June analysis by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, an independent body set up by Congress to monitor the federal insurance program, found there's no proof that the plans serve recipients better than traditional Medicare.

"Although plans are being paid more, the extra payments do not necessarily result in higher quality of care," the agency, known as MedPAC, said in the report."

""It's not so much that the product doesn't provide benefits, but that their [health-care] providers don't accept the product," Obiol said."

"But United Healthcare and its North Carolina subsidiary have paid more than $3 million in fines and penalties to the state Department of Insurance in the past five years to settle issues such as claims management and explanation of benefits. As part of the settlements, the company did not admit to violating any laws or regulations."

So according to the article 60,000 members left the AARP during they period they document while at the same time 1.5 Million renewed and 400K new members joined netting the AARP 340K new members.

I wonder how many members fail to renew their memberships in a typical quarter with that many renewals due. I wonder if it's about 60K.

Wow! Here's a sooprise:

MEDIA REPORTS ON AARP MEMBERSHIP LOSSES DUE TO HEALTH REFORM SUPPORT IGNORE RELEVANT DETAILS

Just another political bloc, looking for taxpayer handouts.

The best part of ObamaCare is that it's going to slash Medicare budgets. I remember how the libbies got their panties all in knots when McCain proposed it last year. Now, they're just being the good sheep Obama knew they would be.

ditto RIR

and during the republican majorities any whisper of medicare reform was met with SWIFT and loud blasts of FEAR MONGERING from the left.

EVEN TOdaY or recently we have read here and on news about dems warning old people that republicans plan on cutting medicare and social security and now they propose cuts of a HALF TRILLION DOLLARS.
and the MSM virtually ignores it.

and has anyone else noticed this

the issues in OUR FAVOR tend to be on the back page and stay there..

is THERE A CONSPIRACY RCADE>.

(cue the X FILES music)

Medicare advantage is an unnecessary added expense for Medicare which costs taxpayers 14% more per beneficiary but that offers no real "advantage" to anyone except the insurnce company pocketing profits.

#5 | Posted by danni at 2009-11-11

so i guess you are okay with aarp throwing millions of thier clients under the bus in order to make even more money?

gee young lady, what happened to your 'walmart attitude' about big business.

Another idiotic story posted by an uneducated republican. Niceville is back up to his old tricks again.

"so i guess you are okay with aarp throwing millions of thier clients under the bus in order to make even more money?"

Just because fear mongers claim they are "throwing people under the bus" doesn't make it so. As the link I posted says, Medicare Advantage really only benefits insurance companies and at great expense to taxpayers. Why do you defend such waste of our taxpayer dollars???

and has anyone else noticed this

the issues in OUR FAVOR tend to be on the back page and stay there..

is THERE A CONSPIRACY RCADE>.

(cue the X FILES music)

#10 | Posted by afkabl2 at 2009-11-11 12:08 PM | Reply |

No conspiracy, this is the stated purpose of the backpage when it was created. Perhaps you hadn't noticed but this site tends to lean to the left?

Executives, employees backed Obama, Dems by 14-to-1 ratio
.......Posted by The_Chapel

.......they know right from wrong.....

.......they know right from wrong.....

#16 | Posted by skizziks at 2009-11-11 04:55 PM | Reply | Flag: FAILED LOGIC IN COMMUNITY COLLEG

FAILED LOGIC IN COMMUNITY COLLEG
..........#17 | Posted by The_Chapel

Republican Rules of Logic:
--1.When confronted with insurmountable evidence of being wrong, insult the messenger, and thereby hope to distract attention from your intractable predicament.--
--2.If rule number one fails, refer to section on organizing tea parties.