Sadly, I have to agree with you! We should have disclosure laws to protect Senior Citizens who believe that AARP is their advocate and is not aware of their profit motive. The greater percentage of seniors believe that AARP is a non-profit organization. In many states, like mine (WA) we do not have much choice when it comes to Medigap so even though I hate AARP … I’m pretty much stuck with them! No wonders they don’t support our ability to purchase insurance across state lines. It’s like a monopoly!

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise of speech, or of the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

I take this to mean the Government has violated Humana’s right to free speech. There is really no way to justifie the Government putting a gag order on any person or company.

We should also remember Humana is employed by citizens. Yes they are in the business of making money, they are also payed to take care of there clients needs. How can any company operate if they cannot inform there clients of the way new laws will affect them..

To say one company has rights while another for what ever reason dose not, is not unfair., it is Unconstitutional. Not only dose it violate the freedom of speech, the Government has no right to inter fear in a privet companies business, let alone to inter fear in a contract between Human and the people who hired them

Nicely done mentioning SEIU and AARP in the same sentence. The only acronym missing was ACORN. It may be a tortuous path connecting all those dots, but I’m sure that someone in the conspiracy theory nation may be able to get the job done. Until then, speculation and smoke. I’ll dial down the snark now.

There is one thing with which you and I agree upon: “It is the lie of caring for their members that you simply do not mention.” I didn’t mention it because I hold no illusions that AARP cares anymore for its members than Humana does. They are both in business for the same reasons: more member subscribers = more revenue and political clout. The difference between the two is this: Humana makes business decisions impacting the health and well-being (and in many cases, the very lives) of millions of Americans every day, sometimes adversely. They have not taken the same professional oath to put their patients’ health concerns before their financial considerations that health providers (like myself) have. They are not accountable to professional licensing boards or to peer review, only to their stockholders (and the government, if they enter into contracts to provide Medicare coverage).

As for AARP’s non-profit status, again, they are not an insurance provider. But consider this: until they were acquired recently by WellPoint, Blue Cross/Blue Shield was legally a NON-PROFIT acting as a for-profit (and in many cases, acting just as badly as other for-profit insurers in regards to their policy holders). Leery of health rationing in the future? Too late, it already exists in our present health insurance non-system.

Chuck, as long as our markets stay free (but not so free that we have corporations too big to fail), and as long as AARP provides products and services that Americans want to buy, then AARP will continue to thrive – whether Obama occupies the White House or not.

“On the home page, in the right column there is a link with a graphic that says “State Your Support for health reform this year” – Many Americans are struggling to make ends meet as the cost of care goes up while others face losing insurance as business struggle to cover employees.” This link takes you to a form at: http://www.HealthReform.gov …. and surprise, there is no OPTION other to to send you message to “SHOW SUPPORT” …. The required fields are you name, zip code and Email address. There is no privacy statement on this form. Wonder how those names, email address and zip code identifying your location, will be used in the future. Is Obama Administration once again collecting illegal data for his own use to promote bills or future fund raising?

Senate Finance ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is raising concerns that a Department of Health and Human Services Web site that urges visitors to send an e-mail to President Barack Obama praising his health care reform plan may violate rules against government-funded propaganda. He has sent a letter of concern to the DHHS requesting information as to why this “support form” in on the site, they have pretty much blown him off.

This seems to be how the liberals are working, put health care anywhere they can including other Government web sites with no option to submit your LACK of support. Heaven Help you if you disagre with this bill, you will either be ignored or punished this administration.

Again, AARP stands to generate billions of dollars of new income if this bill passes … a direct conflict of interest as a non-profit lobby who are supposed to represent Seniors however they are simply representing the profit motive of their FOR Profit company.

CHICAGO politics, thugs …. beat up your opposition no matter what the cost, just WIN!

You missed the point entirely.

The government can now tell private companies what they can communicate to their own customers?

When did this happen? Oh yes, when the government decided it wanted to *own* private enterprises.

The point is – the government has NO business telling *any* private enterprise that is operating legally in this country – what they can and cannot communicate to their own customers.

This administration is taking government control to new frightening heights.

*They* need to be gagged!

As an aside; I have cancelled my membership in AARP for many reasons, the above is just one of them.

One simple reason, Cayenne: Humana is a Medicare contractor (profiting directly from our tax dollars) and is therefore subject to their contract with the federal government (the government being OUR representative). They may use their Medicare database to communicate with policy holders subject to approval by the Centers for Medicare and Medicade Services (CMS) – per their contract.

AARP is not a Medicare contractor. They license their name to insurance companies for purposes on marketing so-called Medi-gap coverage plans (Medicare supplemental plans) and are not subject to the same restrictions as Humana and other Medicare contractors because they do not receive funds directly from government programs (like Medicare). They communicate directly to their AARP members through their subscriber database and not a Medicare-generated database.

You may feel that AARP is in bed with the Obama administration and insurance companies, that is your right to believe so. AARP is an advocacy group (generating sizable revenue from their insurance licensing plans) and may not be advocating for the same things that you are advocating for. Humana and other Medicare contractors may appear to have their policy-holders at the forefront of their concerns, but let’s not forget that they, as for-profit business entities, have a stronger interest in their bottom line and will fight to protect their business interests whether it be in the best interest of the commonweal (and more pointedly, their policy-holders) or not. AARP operates as a different entity, but I would hold them to the same standard.

I still believe in that oft-ignored phrase from the Preamble to our Constitution, “… promote the general Welfare…”. During the current debate over “healthcare reform”, our system of political advise and consent may seem like a messy process, but it is our republican (small “r”) form of representative democracy in action.

I only ask that you fact-check your information (see below) as you discuss these issues. Thanks.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/sep/30/house-republicans/medicare-aarp-humana-politics/