Dear MoveOn member,
For years, Democratic lawmakers have been working to make sure that seniors have access to prescription drugs and reasonable healthcare.
Now, in an attempt to score political points, the Republican Congressional leadership is pushing through a bill that appears to offer a solution. Actually, the bill undermines the entire Medicare program, pushing people into the very HMOs which contribute heavily to Republican lawmakers and barring the government from negotiating for lower drug prices.
Given the danger to seniors, one might expect that the millions-strong American Association of Retired People (AARP) to be on the case.
But after huge contributions from pharmaceutical companies and HMOs, and pressure from Republican lawmakers, the AARP is selling out its membership and backing the bill.
In response, 85 members of Congress (so far) have canceled their AARP memberships, or announced that they will never join (if they're not yet old enough to be eligible). <1>
Today, we urge you to do the same. If the AARP won't stand up for the elderly when it comes to health care, what good is it? You can reach the AARP at:
1-800-424-3410
If you're a member, tell them you're quitting.
If you're too young to be eligible, tell them you'll never join.
You also may want to let your Representative and Senators know that you're keeping the AARP accountable. You could also tell them that you expect them to demand real health care reform -- not this industry-backed bill.
The AARP has endorsed a bill that would make two fundamental changes in Medicare:
1. First, it would force people to make a stark choice: either pay sharply increased premiums to stay in traditional Medicare, where they can choose their doctor; or be forced out, into an HMO.
Newt Gingrich, the former House Republican leader, said in 1995 that he wanted to let Medicare to "wither on the vine."
This change would lead to that result, with cost incentives driving people out. (Not coincidentally, AARP CEO William Novelli recently wrote the forward to Gingrich's book. <2>)
2. Second, it offers a prescription drug benefit, but requires people who want this coverage to buy it from private insurance plans.
This part of the bill also bars the government from doing the one thing it could do to actually reduce the cost of these drugs -- negotiate for lower prices, using the size of the Medicare program as leverage. Drug prices are soaring now, and unless they're brought under control, they will eventually bankrupt Medicare.
AARP itself sells insurance and also sells prescription drugs, so the group stands to reap huge financial gains from this change.
The bill has been opposed by a host of liberal groups <3> as well as by major conservative groups, including the Club for Growth, The eritage Foundation, the American Conservative Union, The Cato nstitute, and the National Taxpayers Union. It's also been assailed y virtually every one of the Democratic presidential candidates. <4>
In endorsing this bill, the AARP has broken faith with its members. In a recent poll, 65% of AARP members said they're opposed to it. <5>
The group has also violated its own written principles. In July, CEO William Novelli wrote to Congress stating the requirements for AARP's support of a Medicare bill. <6> Yet the bill AARP has just endorsed fails to meet nine separate requirements stated in that letter. <7>
We need to hold the AARP responsible for selling out its members. If the organization sees sufficient backlash from its members and prospective members, it could still change course and effect the outcome of this legislation. Please call your local or national AARP branch today.
Sincerely,
--Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack
The MoveOn.org Team
November 20th, 2003
__
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<1> 85 Representatives wrote to Novelli, canceling their memberships:
http://www.moveon.org/HouseAARPletter.pdf <2> From the foreword by Novelli to Gingrich's new book, "Saving Lives and Saving Dollars".
<3> See
http://www.moveon.org/medicare.html for a complete list of organizations.
<4> See:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54358-2003Nov17.html<5> Poll: a majority of AARP members oppose the Medicare bill:
http://www.moveon.org/Medicaresurveypr.pdf<6> AARP July letter on minimum acceptable standards
http://www.aarp.org/Articles/a2003-08-18-drugbenefitinmedicare.html<7> How AARP goes back on its word
http://www.house.gov/schakowsky/Document_AARP_Priorities_11_17_03.html<8>
http://www.aarp.org/leadership/Articles/a2002-12-18-aarpfactsheet.html
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