Is the CEO of AARP going to endorse a Public Option today?

[Thrill]

At a late-morning event at the White House, President Obama will appear with AARP CEO A. Barry Rand to announce drugmakers’ offer to kick in $80 billion over 10 years for comprehensive health-care reform. Rand, AARP's first African-American CEO, will endorse the proposal and make a strong call to enact the President's health reform proposal this year.


Does this mean he is going to announce support for a public option? Thats a big part of the Presidents health reform.

[annabanana]

1. If he does, I'd check the small print pretty damn carefully. .

since they now get most of their money from the insurance they sell. . . .

[vaberella]

4. They mainly sell life insurance. Health is a side insurance to supplement medicare. n/t

[csziggy]

17. AARP also sells auto and home insurance

And they have done a lot of Medicare Supplement Insurance coverage, so they may see that as a profitable future.

AARP did get reamed by many of their members for the lousy Part D POS and that is why they changed their tune. They are the ones behind the DividedWeFail.org campaign pushing for universal health care. I think they see that if the insurance companies will not back covering most people AARP will not be able to make money selling more supplemental policies.

[Joe Bacon]

2. Don't hold your breath.

AARP sold out seniors with Medicare "D". Why? because AARP is an insurance company masquerading as an advocacy group.

[flpoljunkie]

7. Am also skeptical about this deal. Is it to prevent price bargaining for drugs like the VA does?

[vaberella]

8. Medicare "D" is a shady deal. n/t

[flpoljunkie]

3. Heard that AARP will endorse the House plan.

[Thrill]

5. Thats great News.

[vaberella]

6. I believe he will. AARP supported candidate Obama's health proposal during the primaries.

I know this because my mum is a member of AARP.

[drm604]

9. Drug makers kicking in $80 billion.

I'm very skeptical of that. Are they literally going to kick in $80 Billion, or are they going to "promise" to reduce "projected cost increases" by that much?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

10. That was my same cynical thought.

The AARP lost THOUSANDS of members who were pissed off that they backed a Medicare drug plan with no negotiation of prices. Seniors are VERY SHARP when it comes to their Medicare and Social Security. I think AARP learned from the drug blowback and did the right thing in fighting Bush's abortive attempt to privatize Social Security.

AARP is really just a marketing and middle- man organization that earns money selling insurance and financial products to seniors, not all of them all that great. They like to style themselves as an "advocacy" group.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AARP

[rurallib]

12. Truly amazing they would have $80 billion lying around

or that they would admit that they were going to screw Americans out of an extra $80 billion, but now maybe won't. Either way they sure have a lot of extra money rolling around.

[Political Heretic]

13. You and I are thinking alike here.

...no corporation "kicks in 80 billion"

[DRoseDARs]

11. They came out in support of Bush's Medicare "plan" and it blew up in their faces.

I'm not holding my breath.

[karynnj]

14. That $80 Billion is to reduce expenditures in the donut

The Republican Medicare "D" was a very bad plan and one of its worst features in that donut where drugs cost full price. (Du thread on what the drug companies are prepared to do. ( http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3932340 )


Though cutting the price in half there certainly helps, this is a structural problem that will continue to get worse. Some Senators have pushed to eliminate or at least greatly cut the gap. Here are ideas they proposed and a good explanation of the problem. http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=314521

[zulchzulu]

15. ....but but but Diane Feinstein thinks it's going to cost too much...

:puke:

The AARP has a huge marketing/advertising arm. Maybe they can do some ads.

[Sebastian Doyle]

16. Does Feinstein make money from the drug companies

like she does from the "defense" industry?

[DrToast]

18. Obama is isolating the insurance companies

That's what this drug deal was about and the speech at the AMA.

If he gets the AMA on board, checkmate.

It's sad they have that much influence, but it is what it is.