"HYPOCRISY", A SYNONYM FOR "REPUBLICAN"

The party of "NO" continues its journey toward insignificance.

…Seniors talking to an AARP Representative

I continue to shake my head in how the Republicans are able to continue amazing me with their blatant hypocrisy.

What I have realized is that hypocrisy is actually a foundational issue for the GOP. As an example, how can a party be called "Pro-Life" when they are against health care for all, just as they were when they voted against both Social Security and Medicare….? How can the people that are supposed to be "Pro-Life", be the most adamant of America´s war mongers and also the staunchest supporters of the death penalty…?

On further consideration, perhaps the party should just change their motto and key talking-point from "Pro-Life" to "Pro-Baby". Apparently, the GOP wants every fetus to live, even if it´s not a healthy one, but afterwards, they apparently just want everyone to go and die.

And, as Ronald Reagan once said, "Well, there you go again………."

Now, look at what they´ve gone and done……………

First, we agree that it has become common knowledge that the Republican politicians receive the largest donations from big business lobbyists, especially the banks, insurance, health care and pharmaceutical companies. According to the lobbyist´s financial records, Republicans in Congress receive about 3-4 times as much of the donations from these organizations as do the Democrats.

So what did the Republicans do this time?

Well, the AARP, yes the one that has a dual role as both an insurance reform advocate and an insurance marketer, has now come under GOP scrutiny from congressional Republicans. These politicians have accused the AARP of having a conflict of interest in taking sides in the fierce debate over health insurance. Three House Republicans sent a letter to the AARP complaining that the group was putting its "political self-interests ahead of seniors".

Yes, they are actually going after the AARP. This organization, formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, is not an insurance company, it´s a non-profit advocacy and marketing company. They are an organization that heavily markets insurance policies, mainly for seniors, on its Web site, in mailings to its members and through advertising targeted at seniors.

On the other hand, these Republican politicians are the same individuals that have been taking millions from the "financial well" of the insurance providers while continuing to vote against providing any support for America´s seniors. These GOP representatives are now complaining that the nation's preeminent seniors group has put the weight of its 40 million members behind health-care reform. Ah yes, this is GOP hypocrisy at its finest.

It is true that AARP and its subsidiaries collected more than $650 million in royalties and other fees last year from the sale of insurance policies, credit cards and other products that carry the AARP name. In fact, this accounts for the majority of the AARP´s $1.14 billion in revenue, according to federal tax records. As previously stated, AARP does not directly sell insurance policies but lends its name to plans that they approve in exchange for a tax-exempt cut of the premiums. Yes, AARP is a non-profit organization and it is also true that potential benefits could come its way from many of the current reform proposals.

What the GOP lawmakers are complaining about is that AARP's thriving business in marketing the branded "Medigap" type policies will probably increase from the cuts that are being called for in the private insurance companies Medicare Advantage programs. The AARP Medigap policies currently provide supplemental coverage for standard Medicare plans available to the elderly.

In other words, the Republican politicians are upset that the money that was going to make the profits that pay the outrageous salaries of the executives of their private political "donors" will now be going to other companies through the non-profit organization that supports America´s elderly.

House Republican spokesperson Matt Lloyd stated: "We are witnessing a disturbing trend of handouts to special interests like AARP." This comment was referring to the Democratic negotiations over health reform. "In return, AARP is lobbying for a government-run health-care bill that will pad their own executives' pockets at the expense of its own members and other vulnerable seniors."

This is a ridiculous statement as all the cuts that are being made to the private company´s Medicare Advantage policies will not cancel those private insurance policies. All that the government is doing is reducing the extra 14% in revenue that Bush and the GOP politicians approved for paying the private insurance companies. This extra revenue was only approved for providing private insurance policies that were "similar" to regular government sponsored Medicare. The extra 14% of taxpayer dollars was supposed to help lower Medicare health care costs, but they have instead caused an increase. If the current plan is eventually approved by Congress, the insurance companies themselves may actually cancel these policies because they will not be as profitable as they were in the past. (And please remember, as compared to regular Medicare, these private insurance companies can legally cancel or drop their Medicare Advantage policies for absolutely no stated reason.)

AARP officials strongly dispute the Republican allegations. They argue that the group's heavy reliance on brand royalties allows it to offer members a wide range of benefits. AARP also lobbies for seniors in Washington DC and they provide discount travel packages and financial advice. The organization also notes that it even offers a version of a Medicare Advantage plan, but it has been a long-time advocate for curbing the current waste in that federally funded program.

"We're a consumer advocacy organization; we're not an insurance firm," said David Certner, AARP's director of legislative policy. "That drives everything we do. It's got to be good for our members, or we don't endorse it." Added AARP spokesman Jim Dau: "We spend far more time at odds with private insurers than not."

AARP's ties to the insurance business date back to its founding by former educator Ethel Percy Andrus, who initially started the group to help retired schoolteachers find health insurance in the years before Medicare; the effort led to the creation of AARP in 1958.

The Republicans had renewed their attacks on AARP this year after the group emerged as a vigorous defender of many of the reforms under consideration by the Democrat-controlled Congress. Nancy LeaMond, an AARP executive vice president, appeared at a press conference Friday alongside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to announce a new proposal for plugging gaps in coverage of Medicare prescription benefits.

Representative Dave Reichert (R-Wash.), has asked AARP to provide him with more details about its insurance-related businesses, said he believes the group is "misleading" its members about the alleged benefits of Democratic reforms. Per Representative Reichert; "Right now there's a feeling among seniors that AARP may not be entirely forthcoming". However, Mr. Reichert neglected to state which seniors he was referring to or from where he obtained that information about seniors.

In response, AARP has launched a "fact check" section on its Web site to counter GOP criticisms of reform, including the GOP´s discredited "death panels" claim, and it argues that wringing savings out of Medicare and closing gaps in prescription coverage will help older Americans.

Several top AARP officials also said they have no idea whether the group might gain insurance business as a result of the proposed reforms. "We wouldn't know it, and we wouldn't really care," an AARP spokesperson said. "The advocacy is what drives what we do here, and not the other way around."

One wonders just what or who the Republicans will go after next…perhaps they will choose the Humane Society….or the Salvation Army….or…?

Copyright: G.Ater 2009

Follow me on Twitter: gater01