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Health care reform misinformation leads to drop in AARP membership
Health care reform “confusion” has caused AARP to lose members, AARP Tennessee President Margot Seay says.
Seay, a Kingsport resident and volunteer leader of the statewide organization representing seniors’ interests, said AARP has become a victim of the furor over the health care overhaul being debated by Congress.
“We hope they’ll come back,” she said of the lost members. “I think the main thing I hope will happen in this confusion over health care is there will be good discussion. And there will be bipartisan action. ... I encourage everyone to keep asking questions.”
One Associated Press report placed the number of lost AARP members since July 1 at 60,000, although Seay didn’t have an estimate of how many AARP Tennessee members have left.
The same report also noted AARP gained about 400,000 new members during the same period and that 1.5 million members renewed their membership.
AARP has more than 27,000 Kingsport area members, Seay said.
The local AARP chapter will hold a discussion on health care reform Tuesday at the Kingsport Senior Center cafeteria from 2 to 3 p.m.
Much of the health care reform misinformation hurting AARP, Seay said, has gone out over the Internet.
“People are concerned they are going to lose their choice of doctors,” she noted. “They are concerned there is going to be a so-called death squad that is going to make their health decisions for them. ... That’s not the case. ... AARP has lost members over this because a lot of people thought we weren’t speaking for the 50-plus population when in reality we are. There’s a lot of fear of the process, and people are concerned what’s going to happen.
“They are afraid they are going to lose their benefits or their health care is going to change in some way.”
But Seay pointed out AARP has not endorsed the House or Senate legislative version of health care reform, including the so-called “public option,” a proposed government-run health insurance exchange.
“I think a lot of people thought AARP, including President (Barack) Obama, had endorsed health care reform bills that are now before the House and Senate committees, but we haven’t endorsed any bill as of now,” Seay said. “We are for health care reform. ... We feel the health care system as it is makes too many mistakes, costs too much money, and a lot of people are either over-served or underserved. So we feel this is the time for health care reform.”
Part of AARP’s perception problem might be attributed to a “tele-town hall” conference call the organization did with Obama on July 28.
During that event, Obama made a pitch for the public option, in addition to a private health insurance exchange.
“The public option we do not have a position on,” Seay pointed out. “We are definitely against a single-payer or socialized medicine. ... That would be like systems in Canada or England. We like people to have the choice of what doctors they go to. And that’s what people, when I talk to them, they say to me ‘We need health care reform.’ ... (But) there is so much confusion on what is being included in health care reform.
“There’s such partisan action on both sides of the aisle (of Congress). ... We believe that if health care reform doesn’t take place now, it will be several more generations before it does.”
AARP Tennessee recently held a tele-town hall conference call with U.S. Rep. John Tanner, a conservative or “Blue Dog” Democrat representing a West Tennessee congressional district, and plans to hold calls with two other Tennessee Blue Dogs — U.S. Reps. Bart Gordon and Lincoln Davis.
Seay said the organization also hopes to stage a similar call with U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-1st District, who is opposed to the health care reform legislation now in Congress and is currently holding town hall meetings on the subject.
In the final reform plan, Seay said AARP would like to see people able to get health insurance despite having a pre-existing condition.
“AARP is also really behind streamlining Medicare (the federal health care plan for seniors),” she added. “We feel money should be saved in Medicare and Medicaid (the federal health care program for the poor and uninsured). We are working to close the doughnut hole (out-of-pocket expense in the Medicare drug plan). We want pharmaceuticals to not cost our seniors so much money. ... Not only are they paying for drugs, they are paying for their (Medicare) premium. So it’s a double whammy. ... They are having to choose between having to pay for their prescriptions or food.”
For more about AARP Tennessee, go to www.aarp.org/TN.
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I agree with (fed up) post on this topic.It is time for something new to happen with out adding more tax burdens on the working class.Enough is enough,please!
In answer to the commenter FEDUP regarding cost.As a SSA recipient who paid into the system for 24+ years before becoming disabled to work Yes! I for one have.This country is surviving on debt notes owned by Japan and other foreign countries, which if called in we'd all be in BIG TROUBLE to the tune of Trillions of dollars,not readily available cash.That why I'm for a coop type heath system whereas the members prepay into a health care plan which hires the medical provider for the clinic on the Rx drug side.Personally since I am Cherokee/Irish in decent I'm a firm beleiver in Natural treatments which GOD made and placed on this earth he created giving every human GOD created access to the knowledge of what herbs treat what, and those that practice this doesn't have to have Washington DC prove it, since that's been done thousands of years ago,and a form of preventative illness and disease.
AARP hasn't officially endorsed any plan, but they have been unofficially stumping for it with television ads and memos.
I think AARP is experiencing one of those "Live and learn" moments.
Obama made the claim during a speech that “We have the AARP on board because they know this is a good deal for our seniors,” when this is not true. In fact AARP's CEO disputes this statement by saying "indications that we have endorsed any of the major healthcare reform bills currently under consideration in Congress are inaccurate." This un-truth came from Obama's mouth, not republicans or fox, causing AARP membership cancellations.
Yeah and don't let MSNBC guide you either...talk about a love affair with Obama and the Democrats.
Read the bill yourself - draw your own conclusion of what is contained rather than relying on the hope of "honesty and transparency" of the President or Fox cable to inform you.
FAIRNESS DOCTRINE NOW!!!! ;-)
Have any of you posters considered the COST of this monstrosity? Another 2 trillion dollars on top of the 11 trillion dollars we are already in debt don't mean much to somebody sitting on the porch waiting for a welfare check, but to working people it means more taxes on an already overtaxed populace! We are not competitive on the world's market as it is! Another round of taxes will only cause the loss of even more jobs and expanding the public assistance rolls. It's a never ending downward spiral, eventually ending America as we know it. Do we need "health care reform"? Certainly! A way for the uninsured to BUY affordable coverage, YES. Covering pre existing conditions, YES. Tort reform to bring down the cost of medical care as well as helping to end unnecessary tests merely as defense against lawsuits, YES. All this CAN be done without a massive new tax burden on working Americans. It's time to abandon this mess and start on a bill that WILL bring needed reforms to help Americans without bankrupting us!
Typical Democrat stupidity. They own the Senate and the House and the White House...can't pass a bill with the Democrats they have. So what do they do? They blame the GOP and the Fox News Channel. They call people who ask questions and speak out "disrupters" and other names.
If the Dems are afraid of Fox News because they ask questions...then I'm afraid of the Dems.
Why not talk the truth here, most people who are Republican prefer to remain ignorant of the facts and a lot are just damn stupid and believe everything said on Fox noise Channel.
There is an old Russian proverb that states,"If everyone gives one thread, the poor man will have a shirt ".
This is the basis of Obama's view on health care reform and, in theory, it is a noble one.
But human nature doesn't allow for Utopian adventures. If Peter knows that he can get the same insurance and benefits as Paul without having to get up every morning and working in the salt mine for 12 hours, he is going to more than just a little tempted to order another pay-per-view movie and spend the day watching for his paycheck to arrive via USPS.
I have been on main street USA at 2am and I have seen the world that seems to be hidden from the "real world". People selling there food stamps for pennies on the dollar. Spending disability benefits for booze and drugs. Using the system for free room and board with no intentions of ever becoming a contributing member of society.
These same people destroyed TennCare by packing the emergency rooms in search of pain killers and by "doctor shopping" to maximize their bounty.
There comes a time when the ones pushing for a "equal for all" world, have to realize that if you give one thread to all those who ask, you will soon find yourself in a long line waiting to receive a piece of thread.
The spouting fear tactics of the Liberal opposers.
You gotta love it.
Why can people just not calm down and think?
I left AARP long before the Health Care Reform issue,& I don't blame anyone for doing the same.But,now,it is good news to hear the AARP agrees we need reform.
Truthfully I don't blame the ex-members for canceling their membership. I paid one year with the hope of getting my wife insured. Didn't happen. Nor will we be a member again. Do me or my family wrong once, shame on you. If I allow it to happen twice then I did not learn a thing.
The heath care plans have serious issues that need to be discussed. This "death squad" nonsense that is brought up in every article on the topic is nothing more than a distraction technique to prevent discussion of the real issues.