“Mr. Hemsley, you know I’m used to following the money, especially when patients are told something is about affordability, and AARP presents itself as an independent non-profit speaking for seniors. But its own financial filings show that UnitedHealth paid AARP over nine billion dollars in a single deal—far more than the AARP brings in from membership dues, and more than four times its annual operating revenue. They also earn royalties tied directly to insurance premiums, meaning the more seniors pay, the more AARP makes. Yet that same organization lobbies Congress on affordability and pushes policies that benefit large insurers like yours, so before we accept AARP as an ‘independent’ voice for seniors, we need some straight answers about who this relationship is really serving. So, I have two questions. Why does UnitedHealth pay AARP roughly nine billion dollars, and what does UnitedHealth get in return? And what percentage of AARP’s total revenue comes from UnitedHealth today?”
