News & Blogs

Matthew Cunningham-Cook: AARP Is Welcoming the Privatization of Medicare

Despite massive and systemic problems with for-profit Medicare plans denying care to seniors while costing the government more than $7 billion annually in excess fees, the leading advocacy group tasked with protecting older Americans is welcoming the privatization of the national health insurance program — while earning as much as $814 million annually from insurers advertising the plans. The state of affairs lays bare a conflict inside AARP, the major advocacy organization for Americans fifty and older, over…

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Jon Decker: AARP was wrong to back Medicare drug price control. It’ll end up hurting seniors

There’s no way to get around it: the newly enacted Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) marks a terrible blow to American seniors. For the millions of older Americans on Medicare, the future of medical innovation is much dimmer, as will be their access to critical prescription drugs. But AARP – the supposed bastion of senior advocacy – is apparently unfazed. It recently concluded a victory tour, which included an event in Arizona celebrating the bill’s enactment as a historic achievement for seniors. Government price controls…

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WSJ: AARP-Branded Medicare Drug Plan Is Too Costly for Many Retirees, Critics Say

The AARP name has become a marketing juggernaut among baby boomers, with the group’s nearly 38 million members receiving offers for AARP-branded health, life and auto insurance, and discounts on cellphones, travel, car rentals and even pet insurance. One of its most popular branded products is the high-end AARP MedicareRx Preferred plan, insured by UnitedHealth Group Inc., UNH 0.30%increase; green up pointing triangle and it carries the highest premiums among all national stand-alone Medicare drug plans. For many boomer retirees,…

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Jon Decker: Letter: AARP is wrong about Inflation Reduction Act

AARP Pennsylvania State Director Bill Johnston-Walsh’s opinion piece on the so-called “historic victory” that is the Inflation Reduction Act follows his organization’s misleading narrative. Claiming that a drug “price negotiation” scheme in Medicare will help seniors could not be any further from reality. Instead, the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare provisions make American health care worse. This new federal law imposes an arbitrary “price negotiation” mandate, which decreases investments in research and development, minimizes patient access…

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Jon Decker: AARP celebrates handouts for big health insurers

Seniors are being deceived. President Joe Biden’s plainly misnamed “Inflation Reduction Act” will significantly harm America’s healthcare system. Its drug pricing provisions undermine the incentives for creating cutting-edge medicines and make it harder for seniors to access the prescription drugs they count on under Medicare. But that’s not what they’re being told. The prime culprit for deceiving seniors is AARP, which recently held a town hall heralding the legislation’s passage into law as a “momentous victory,” which might be true for…

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Marion Mass: AARP: An Organization that Stands with PBM Kickbacks and Hidden Prices

A year ago, President Biden announced he would enforce an executive order issued by former President Trump that requires hospitals to post their prices publicly — to be “transparent.” Not only did the administration insist on compliance, but it doubled down by increasing the penalties for the 80% of large hospitals that had dragged their feet. Both administrations should be congratulated for the patient-friendly policy, but getting compliance has proven difficult. Patient Rights Advocate semi-annual…

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Jon Decker: Inflation Reduction Act a dead end for seniors. Why did AARP and Cortez Masto support it?

When then-President Barack Obama was trying to sell the Affordable Care Act to a skeptical public, he infamously told the American people, “If you like your health care plan, you can keep it.” That talking point was such a massive whopper that it was dubbed PolitiFact’s “Lie of the Year.” Despite this and seniors’ vocal opposition to Obamacare, AARP surreptitiously lobbied for the bill. It was a move that would irreparably harm the AARP’s reputation as a “senior…

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Charles L. Hooper and David R. Henderson: Expensive Prescription Drugs Are a Bargain

The Inflation Reduction Act has eight provisions intended to reduce future drug prices. Some observers were surely pleased that Congress gave the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services new powers to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies. They shouldn’t have been. The Inflation Reduction Act won’t noticeably reduce inflation and it will do little or nothing to lower the cost of healthcare. Forcing drug companies to charge lower prices will likely lead to fewer new drugs. Virtually…

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