And in looking back at this Feburary article that 'outs' other seniors groups for being shills for big Pharma, it seems they've inadvertently outed themselves by changing their position on the Reublican Bill...
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/326/7385/351US seniors group attacks pharmaceutical industry "fronts"
Ray Moynihan, Washington
The giant US seniors group AARP, which has 35 million members aged over 50, has accused the pharmaceutical industry of funding "front" groups that purport to represent older Americans but instead push industry friendly political messages.
An investigation by the AARP Bulletin has discovered that three key organisations, the United Seniors Association, the Seniors Coalition, and the 60 Plus Association, have all received substantial contributions in recent years from the drug industry.
"When the pharmaceutical industry speaks these days, many Americans may not be able to recognize its voice. That's because the industry often uses `front groups' that work to advance its agenda under the veil of other interests," says the article.
AARP is one of the strongest citizens groups in the United States, and it is currently lobbying hard for a national pharmaceutical scheme to help older people to meet their drug costs.
Proposals for a new scheme have split the US congress, with Democrats favouring a government-run approach, and the Republicans supporting a more privatised market based plan, also being promoted by the pharmaceutical industry. The AARP article gave detailed figures of drug company funding for the three seniors groups, and cited examples of pro-industry campaigning, including multimillion dollar television advertisements in the closing weeks of the congressional elections in November 2002. The 60 Plus Association is accused of being involved with "astro-turfing"allegedly helping to create a false grass roots campaign to defeat proposed state laws on prescription drugs.