The AARP claims to be all about representing the interests of seniors, but when it comes to health care reform, they are selling seniors down the river to line their own pockets.

The AARP has endorsed the gargantuan PelosiCare bill that just passed the House, despite the fact the bill proposes more than $400 billion in cuts to Medicare, which is certain to lead to rationing, inferior care and “death panels” for vulnerable senior citizens.

Why? As they say, follow the money. PelosiCare will also cut Medicare Advantage by $170 billion. Medicare Advantage allows seniors to purchase private insurance with their Medicare payments, but these cuts will drive many of these seniors into inferior Medigap plans.

AARP has a vested interest in seniors being driven out of Medicare Advantage into Medigap plans because AARP makes a fortune in royalty fees from Medigap plans. More than one-half of its $1.1 billion budget comes from such royalty fees, and Medigap plans make up the biggest share of this royalty revenue by far.

The more seniors are forced out of Medicare Advantage into Medigap plans, the more money AARP makes. In other words, under PelosiCare, seniors lose but AARP wins – big time.

Even the Washington Post noted the conflict of interest on Oct. 27, when it said, “Democratic proposals to slash reimbursements for…Medicare Advantage are widely expected to drive up demand for private Medigap policies like the ones offered by AARP.”

TAKE ACTION

If you are an AARP member, we urge you to cancel your membership today. Their number is 1-888-687-2277.

American Seniors Association (ASA) is an alternative we suggest you check out. AFA does not officially endorse ASA, but simply offers it as a conservative alternative to AARP. By the way, ASA is offering any senior that sends in a torn AARP card a special deal that provides them with a two-year membership for the price of one year.

American Family Association | P O Drawer 2440 | Tupelo, MS 38803 | 1-662-844-5036
Copyright © 2009 American Family Association. All Rights Reserved

Numbered passes will be given to the first 150 who arrive.  These people will be seated in the Auditorium.  The proceedings can he heard outdoors via speakers for the remainder of those attending.  Rep. Solomon Ortiz has declined to attend and Rep. Ruben Hinojosa has not replied.  Their challengers will be present.

YOUR ATTENDANCE IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED!  

NEXT ITEM — A REMINDER:  RALLY this Saturday from noon to 1:00 p.m. at Solomon Ortiz’s office, 1805 E. Ruben Torres.  Take your letters (hand-written is preferable) to Rep. Ortiz’s office. 

IMPORTANT YOU ATTEND.  WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE.

(From the AP)

Thu Aug 13, 1:55 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Key senators are excluding a provision on end-of-life care from health overhaul legislation after language in a House bill caused a furor.

Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement Thursday that the provision had been dropped from consideration because it could be misinterpreted or implemented incorrectly.

A health care bill passed by three House committees allows Medicare to reimburse doctors for voluntary counseling sessions about end-of-life decisions. But critics have claimed the provision could lead to death panels and euthanasia for seniors.

The Senate Finance Committee is still working to complete a bill.

PANORA, Iowa — Sen. Charles Grassley, a Republican who is a key bargainer on health care reform, played to packed crowds in his home state of Iowa who left little doubt that they were not happy with what’s on the table.

The questions were tough but respectful, and there was little of the shouting that has dominated similar meetings in other parts of the country.

“It seems to me that people are expressing, not just on health care, but people are just very scared about the direction the country is taking,” said Grassley, who emphasized that he hasn’t signed off on anything.

Grassley is the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee and he’s been deep in bargaining seeking a compromise health care plan that could get some Republican votes. He made it clear there are portions of the current measure he can’t swallow.

The boisterous forums held by many federal lawmakers have emphasized the challenge for President Barack Obama’s administration as it tries to win over skeptical voters to an expensive plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system.

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill were among those who hosted raucous town halls on Tuesday. Speaking Wednesday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Specter said that the protesters are “not necessarily representative of America” but should be heard.

“There’s more anger out there now than I have ever seen before,” the Democrat said. “And I think the anger is caused by so many people having lost their jobs and (being) worried about losing their health insurance.”

In North Dakota, a raucous crowd packed a fire hall in Casselton on Wednesday to talk to Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan, with few signs of support for the reform plans. One woman was booed when she said an overhaul is necessary.

Other meetings were less combative. In Kansas, Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins faced a friendly crowd of more than 200 people, drawing applause as she listed flaws she sees in the legislation before Congress.

Several audience members at Topeka’s Holiday Inn Holidome said they believe Jenkins is listening to them — when the Democrats controlling Congress are not.

“I think that’s where the yelling comes in,” said Jerry Aller, a 55-year-old farmer and postal worker who drove 70 miles from his hometown of Hiawatha.

In Iowa, nearly 500 people jammed a sweltering community center meeting room to see Grassley, with virtually all describing health reform as a government takeover of the nation’s health care system that’s a prescription for disaster.

Charlotte Fett manages a local clinic, and she said doctors are already forced to fight their way through a blizzard of bureaucracy.

“I’m concerned about the layers of regulation that health care has now,” she said. “This will make it worse I think and I’ve been in health care for 40 years.”

“I don’t want the government or a bureaucrat working for the government to come between you and your doctor,” said Grassley. “I think the stakes are very, very high.”

Grassley has opposed Obama’s call for creation of a public option that the president says would drive up competition and force private insurers too reduce their rates. Grassley says only people in the country legally should be covered by a government-funded health care program, and opposes any plan that “determines when you’re going to pull the plug on grandma.”

None of the bills in Congress would provide health insurance to illegal immigrants, but it didn’t keep people from expressing concern about it.

Obama has declared that the provision causing the uproar over end-of-life care only authorizes Medicare to pay doctors for counseling about end-of-life care. He says it would not “basically pull the plug on grandma because we decided that it’s too expensive to let her live anymore.”

National Republicans have seen an opportunity in the health care debate to target vulnerable Democrats. The National Republican Campaign Committee plans to run television and radio advertisements throughout August targeting at least seven members of Congress in competitive races.