AARP gets its Obamacare waiver: As predicted
Doug Powers called it on November 5, 2010:
AARP, either in blind faith or full complicity, bet on door #1 and their employees (not to mention almost everybody else) get to pay the price:
WASHINGTON – AARP’s endorsement helped secure passage of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Now the seniors’ lobby is telling its employees their insurance costs will rise partly as a result of the law.
In an e-mail to employees, AARP says health care premiums will increase by 8 percent to 13 percent next year because of rapidly rising medical costs.
And AARP adds that it’s changing copayments and deductibles to avoid a 40 percent tax on high-cost health plans that takes effect in 2018 under the law. Aerospace giant Boeing also has cited the tax in asking its workers to pay more. Shifting costs to employees lowers the value of a health care plan and acts like an escape hatch from the tax.
Prepare for AARP to now lobby the Obama administration for a waiver from the glorious health care law they helped shove down America’s throat.
Matthe Boyle at the Daily Caller, today:
The Daily Caller has learned that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rate review rules, which it finalized on Thursday, exempt “Medigap” policy providers, like the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), from oversight when such providers increase payment rates for their supplemental insurance plans.
Insurance providers who aren’t exempt from Obamacare’s rate review rules are required to publicly release and explain some health care payment rate increases.
The AARP is the nation’s biggest seller of Medigap policies, or supplemental healthcare plans that add onto what Medicare won’t cover for seniors. The senior citizens interest group advocated for Obamacare to include an attack on Medigap policies’ biggest competitor, Medicare Advantage.
Though the White House and HHS dismiss allegations of political favoritism when it comes to who’s getting exceptions from the new health care regulations – such as in the recent uproar over the disproportionate number of Obamacare waivers that went to companies in House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s district — Obamacare critics say the mere appearance of the administration helping friends is disturbing.
As reported on this blog in September 2009, critics have been raising questions about AARP’s seeming kickback scheme involving its Medicare advantage program.
The stench of waivers for favors grew stronger still after AARP endorsed the controversial Obamacare bill in November 2009 despite a rising backlash from AARP members.
Dude, where’s your waiver?
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Any senior who still belongs to AARP has to be an idiot or a Democrat, or both.
Oh, WOW, you could have knocked me over with a feather. Unbelievably, unbelievable, eh?
How much longer is this crap going to go on?
My Mom refuses to belong to aarp now.
Who do you call for help when your own government is the one with a gun to your head?
Aahhhhh…
But will the AARP come out to say they may have made a mistake?
AARP enjoys the same faulty public perception that the unions do. People think it’s an advocacy group, when in fact it’s a parasitic group using people it’s supposed to help as tools to enrich its leaders.
With all of the ammo available for the GOP “standing around doing nothing” presidential hopefuls, you would think they would actually show some fight. Instead, it’s about being the “front stander arounder” on the basis of raising $10.5 million in one day. That is why the GOP is going to lose in 2012 and they are going to blame us conservatives.
Please forgive the obvious, but the above is redundant.
“Idiot” = “Democrat”
Ipso facto.
so which is bigger news, obama selling out the jews, or aarp selling out thier seniors?
My waiver? It’s called, “Waving farewell from the Titanic as the last lifeboat leaves.”
Or to paraphrase a verbal exchange that took place not long before that ill-fated ship’s final plunge: a woman still on board cried out, “Save me! Save me!”
In reply to which a man said gently, “Dear lady, save yourself; only God can save you now.”
Swap “the Supreme Court” for “God,” and they could be having that conversation today.
Wait I dont understand, I thought Obama care was great, affordable, a money saver? Why does anybody need a waiver from this great ground-breaking historical legislation???
IMO, bho selling out the Jews! We citizens can choose not to join aarp. Our home wouldn’t join if it was free. We have bho, who says he speaks for America and puts Israel under the bus without letting citizens have a say! I do not in any shape or form support bho’s position on Israel. I pray for Israel, along with Marizela, daily! God be with you Israel.
L
I sent back my AARP bill with “No, YOU SUPPORT OBAMACARE!” in big black letters.
Has any R said anything negative regarding the waivers yet?
Every morning, when I wake up, I turn on the news to see what country I have awakened in. It sure isn’t America.
Maybe they’re all afraid of Huntsman as well.
I am a Jew who is a die hard conservative. For the life of me I dont know why any Jew votes for any democrat. What Obama did is so very typical of dems and their dealings with Jews, but Obama is taking it to a new grotesque level. Perhaps that will wake some of my family members (and other Jews) up. I have had more battles than I can count with relatives on this topic.
I am a Jew who is a die hard conservative.
Thank you. I agree, I don’t know why any Jew would vote or give $ to a d? It might be changing a bit after bho’s speech yesterday, one could hope.
L
Isn’t it amazing that all the people who helped jam Obamacare down our throats are now getting waivers so they can exempt themselves from it?
BTW, this is all possible because we have an ineligible man posing as President.
The Supreme Court will not save us.
That was Trump’s forte. Now that he is gone we need somone to step up to bat. Sarah wasn’t too shy before, but she may not run. That leaves M. Bachman to carry the torch.
is it true that Cain will be announcing his run tomorrow?
Says so much about AARP and the fraud in the White House.
An American success story and tea-party favorite who could be Barry’s “worst nightmare” tells WND he will make a “very important announcement” to the nation in less than 48 hours.
http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=300741
A while back, I “joined” AARP with my $’s (this was a Looooooong time ago). Guess what? They did NOTHING for me. Except to ask for more $’s. I asked them to tell me what my dues went for. They sent a stupid form letter of some sort listing advocacy and such.
I canceled my membership. They asked a few years in a row to Join Now or You’ll Be Missing Out, but I never responded back. Now they don’t even bother.
Amazing? No. Predictable? Absolutely.
Well, then you’d better hope that the result of the 2012 election is a three-way lockout of the donkey party.
If the R’s run the table to a clean sweep in 2012, then whether they would have the gumption to effect repeal is not a certainty; but if Obama is still in the White House and/or Harry Reid still holds the Senate gavel in 2013, then there is no question that “Waiver Mania” will remain fashionable until at least 2016 – and the longer donkeycare remains in place and expands its tentacles, the more of a fait accompli it becomes.
A Supreme court slap-down in 2012 is the best “Plan A” we can hope for. A Republican pickup in the Senate and presidency in the same year, followed by a massive torches-and-pitchforks effort on the part of the “little people” to force them to repeal, would be “Plan B.”
I’d prefer “Plan A.”
AARP is a club for the senile. It uses “freebies” and discounts to attract members and then feeds those members an endless supply of misinformation about the political reality. Hopefully their membership will tank and then there won’t be an AARP to need the waivers. One less lobby group serving its own interests, won’t be missed.
Dude, where’s my
waivercountry?http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/36706
No, they’re going to lose because Marxists have taken the GOP over, not because they’re doing nothing.
Echos of 1940′s Germany.
Calling Dr. Kevorkian to the Death panel….
I read this and cannot comment I am so disgusted.
OT
Welcome to the most transparent Senate evah.
Not to pick nits here, but isn’t producing a budget the job of a Budget committee? Not lately, of course. The Senate could just as easily change its name to the Responsibility Shirking Committee and give voters a more accurate picture of their mission under Democratic leadership.
Excuse me … that should be the Responsibility Deferment Committee.
The Senate Budget Committee hasn’t produced a workable plan in 750 days, a point rammed home by Senator Jeff Sessions on the floor yesterday….
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/05/20/senate-democrats-still-not-letting-anyone-see-their-budget/
Our Michelle is on Fox now talking about this issue. Thanks Michelle, you rock!
L
This fraud has to be indicted, and soon. It has got to be before he can do too much more damage to the world. He is full speed ahead.
This Debt Collector seems to have dug up some stink on Barky and his home loan deal in Chicago.
Equally big.
But equally expected.
I like to register hundreds of illegal aliens to AARP and ask for membership bills be sent to various political leadership residents in Mexico.
There’s no way I would like to see the Donald as POTUS.
It was still nice to have him as a bull in the china shop for a short time, doing and saying the things Republican politicians don’t dare say.
Why am I never surprised?
His slogan could be either WTF or FTW!
Just sayin’ is all…
Then again, they do have salaries and bonuses to pay:
William D. Novelli, ex-CEO of AARP: $1,005,380
February 19, 2010 —
William D. Novelli, who resigned as CEO in March 2009, was just one of 18 AARP executives who were paid more than $300,000 in 2008.
Tax records show Novelli’s total compensation topped $1 million that year with the inclusion of $207,000 in deferred pay. Novelli’s pay package was a recent topic of debate on Capitol Hill, where some congressmen complained that AARP executives would benefit personally from proposed health care reforms.
Other AARP execs pulling down $300,000 or more were:
•$625,857 Thomas C. Nelson
•$452,667 Lin MacMaster (includes a $172,000 severance payment)
•$421,679 Nancy A. Leamond
•$417,246 Emilio Pardo
•$409,560 Joan S. Wise
•$398,432 Robert R. Hagans Jr.
•$375,449 Shereen G. Remez
•$361,352 John C. Rother
•$358,222 Kevin J. Donnellan
•$351,278 Ellen Hollander
•$350,836 Hugh Delehanty
•$335,120 David Sloane
•$334,330 Harroll Backus
•$332,865 Nancy Smith
•$328,138 Susan Reinhard
•$327,293 Matthew Rosser
•$324,219 Matthew Mitchell
All told, these 17 executives pocketed $843,697 in bonus and incentive pay in 2008, AARP reported.
Just reportin’ is all…
I’m only 41, but looking forward to receiving my first AARP solicitation letter in a few years. I intend to respond with a soiled Depends.
Obamacare is unconstitutional. EVERYONE has is inherently exempt!!!
That goes way beyond AARP and unions. The entire left-wing special-interest apparatus is designed to exploit the people they purport to help and turn them into a permanent underclass of dependent victims. (Think NAACP, the National Organization “for” Women, Human Rights Campaign, etc.)
Who ever thought up the concept of AARP was brilliant. They pull in billions of $$$ for doing absolutely nothing productive for it’s members. Just all hot air, smoke, and mirrors. Get smart AARP members. . . cancel your membership immediately. Use the money for a nice lunch out. You’ll enjoy it much more.
aarp was blinded by the $ signs that a possible 32 million extra customers could push in their direction.
Isn’t this the ‘corporate greed’ libs/progs keep whining about? YEARS (eleven) ago I was a one year member and all I got out of it was a mailbox full of junk mail with offers I couldn’t use or didn’t want. I still get crap from these con artists and it goes straight to the shredder.
After the BeBe smackdown today it HAS to be WTF?????
The boy took a ‘principal’s office’ spanking today…. HAHAHAHAHAAA what a maroon!!
Hey TV Networks, do you know what I’d like to see for a prime-time reality show? Some of these DC bureaucrats being frog marched to the hoosegow! Just make sure to digitize out the naughty bits during the delousing shower scenes. Wouldn’t want to turn it into Jersey Shore.
Hey, I’m for some of that. Maybe they could illustrate some of that extreme interrogation stuff also.
Yeah, except for those of us whose paychecks will be garnished.
Three years after my grandfather died the AARP was still sending him (us) bills for his dues.
Given that he had been paid up until his death; we didn’t feel it necessary to continue his membership after his death, nor pay for the membership continuing after his death.
It took the threat of legal action for them to stop harassing us.
I quit AARP decades ago, when I realized they were just shills for Liberal causes. I believe they should be denied any Federal funding. They are a political, money making enterprise and should support their organization entirely without our tax dollars.
When they send me membership applications now, I just write ” hell no” on them and send them back in their postage paid envelopes.
It’s a small pleasure, but a pleasure nonetheless.
HA! AH-YEP!!!! The ‘Hope and Change’ ya can throw-up on!
I’m in a ‘LEXINGTON/CONCORD APRIL 19, 1775 STATE OF MIND!
We went to WAR with England for less than all the crap that has been going on in this country for far too long!
There shall be blood.