News & Blogs

Gil Ziffer: AARP should protect its senior members, not UnitedHealth’s profits

An arrangement between AARP and the UnitedHealth Group medical insurance company has made billions of dollars for both entities. But as a pandemic rages out of control — a pandemic that most profoundly affects the elderly — it’s time to ask whether those profits come at the expense of AARP’s vulnerable membership. The American Association of Retired Persons, or AARP, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people age 50 and over, dedicated to “enhancing…

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The AARP-UnitedHealth-Congress Love Triangle

The health insurance industry has longed enjoyed a cozy relationship with congressional Democrats, but the level of back scratching going on between them – with AARP in the middle – has reached new heights. UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest health insurance corporation, has been raking in record earnings while Americans continue to endure an unprecedented amount of pain and suffering. Now, Nancy Pelosi wants to reward them with a massive cash infusion: Congressional Democrats’ plan would only add to insurers’…

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AARP Aims to Profit from the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit many industries especially hard – and the news media is no exception. Thousands of reporters have been laid off, furloughed, or had their salaries cut and dozens of publications have closed for good. Despite the economic difficulties threatening their very existence, media outlets and news organizations across the country dropped their paywalls and made coronavirus coverage available for free to non-subscribers. Explaining the move to Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The…

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AARP claims they don’t need to act with ‘interest of members in mind’

The social media giant Facebook recently started curating content in its “Coronavirus Information Center” in order to provide Americans with the latest news on COVID-19 from reputable sources.   But since the purpose of the platform is to showcase content from its most trusted providers, we have a question —Why is AARP included?   AARP is far from a reliable source of information, and by their own admission, they are not accountable to seniors. As we previously wrote:…

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UnitedHealth Group and AARP Prosper as Seniors Suffer

Americans continue to endure an unprecedented amount of pain and suffering—physically and financially. According to the latest statistics, there have been over 63,000 COVID-19 related deaths to date, with seniors being the most at-risk demographic. Stay-at-home orders from governors have brought our consumer economy to a standstill, forcing over 30 million Americans out of work and seeking unemployment benefits. Yet, while seniors pass away at alarming rates and Americans file for unemployment, Washington, D.C.’s power…

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Phil Kerpen: UNMASKING UNITEDHEALTH FRONT GROUP AARP

For years the major health care policy debates in Washington and state capitals have been distorted by the fact that one of America’s best known and trusted advocacy organizations, AARP, has functioned largely as a lobbying and PR front for the country’s biggest health insurer, UnitedHealth.  Yet elected officials continue to see and hear their advocacy messages as representing millions of seniors – who are famously reliable voters – with a serious corrosive impact on…

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AARP says its relationship with members not one of “trust or confidence”

A judge in Washington, DC recently dismissed a class action lawsuit against the AARP brought by seniors who felt the organization was not acting in their best interests. However, the arguments that AARP made to obtain that dismissal will likely shock its members. AARP has been in and out of the courtroom for years defending their controversial arrangement with the nation’s largest health insurance corporation, UnitedHealth. These class action lawsuits have been brought by Medicare…

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Once Supporters of Class Action Lawsuits, AARP Finds Itself on the Other Side of the Courtroom

Just a couple short years ago, AARP was voicing its full-throated support for class action lawsuits against institutions who engage in unfair or unethical practices. Now, class action lawsuits filed across at least four states have the AARP changing its tune. “AARP supports the availability of a full range of enforcement tools, including the right to class action litigation to prevent harm to the financial security of older people posed by unfair and illegal practices,” said AARP Director of Financial Security…

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