News & Blogs

DC Journal: AARP Is Conflicted About Everything—Except Its Bottom Line

To some, it might seem odd that an organization that claims to advocate for seniors has as its largest partner a business reportedly under investigation by the Justice Department for its Medicare billing practices. But unfortunately, such conflicts are par for the course for AARP. As I outline in a new report for American Commitment, the organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons has become incredibly compromised over the past two decades by its financial…

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AARP’s Multi-Billion-Dollar Financial Ties to Mega Insurer-PBM UnitedHealth Cause Alarm

Media Contact: Michael DeSantis michael@americancommitment.org AARP Has Been Paid More Than $9 Billion Via Its Corporate Partner  Washington, D.C. — April 24, 2024 — Today, as part of its “Commitment to Seniors” initiative, American Commitment released a comprehensive report conducted by Juniper Research Group that explores the deep financial relationship AARP has with UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest health insurance and pharmacy benefit management (PBM) corporation.   Key findings include: AARP has received an estimated $9…

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AARP’s Silence on Insurer-PBMs Speaks Volumes

As a Medicare retiree and resident of The Villages, as well as former insurance association professional, I’ve witnessed firsthand the unique healthcare cost challenges faced by older Americans. The pain points are obvious and come in the form of skyrocketing out-of-pocket costs, but the complex and confusing reasons why these are so high are not. Fortunately, the latter, especially as they relate to prescription drug prices, benefited from some much needed sunlight during a recent…

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The Roanoke Times: Commentary: AARP has a massive conflict of interest in drug price debate

AARP has weighed in as the 800-pound gorilla in Virginia’s drug pricing debate, lending its weight to a so-called Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) that would be empowered to impose price controls on medicines. But it’s crucial for legislators and the governor to understand that AARP advocates not on behalf of seniors but rather on behalf of its corporate partner and principal funding source — UnitedHealth. AARP’s own survey research shows that insurance-related costs such…

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WSJ: U.S. Opens UnitedHealth Antitrust Probe

The Justice Department has launched an antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth, owner of the biggest U.S. health insurer, a leading manager of drug benefits and a sprawling network of doctor groups. The investigators have in recent weeks been interviewing healthcare-industry representatives in sectors where UnitedHealth competes, including doctor groups, according to people with knowledge of the meetings.

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DC Journal: AARP’s 2024 Great Senior Scare

Only in Washington can Congress’s bipartisan efforts to combat fraud in Medicare and Social Security cause alarm from organizations claiming to be advocates for seniors. A recent AARP fundraising letter shows how much AARP fears congressional efforts to combat fraud in these programs. The AARP letter amounts to scaremongering among America’s seniors. Congress is reasonably concerned about the national debt, estimated at $34 trillion. Spending cuts are one tool Congress can use to reduce debt.…

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10,000+ NH Seniors Petitioning AARP to Mount Legal Challenge Against Washington’s Raid on Medicare

Contact: Michael DeSantis Michael@AmericanCommitment.org MANCHESTER, NH/WASHINGTON, DC – January 22, 2024 – More than 10,000 New Hampshire seniors have signed the EndTheRaid.org petition urging AARP to leverage its advocacy and litigation resources to mount a legal challenge to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). It is estimated that the IRA spending bill is diverting approximately $280 billion in projected Medicare drug savings to pay for unrelated spending and special interest handouts, including costly tax credits for…

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The Federalist: The Association of Mature American Citizens Has Quietly Become A Conservative Powerhouse

For decades now, AARP, which once stood for the American Association of Retired Persons and has been subsequently rebranded as just a set of initials that stand for nothing, has been one of the most influential lobby groups in Washington, D.C. Though AARP was supposed to represent a large and politically diverse cross-section of older Americans, its transformation into an overtly partisan Democrat organization is hard to deny. Recently, AARP lobbied heavily for the Biden…

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