Stoughton Resident Volunteers with AARP to Protect Social Security, Medicare

To coordinate with AARP’s national call-in day to Congress, held Wednesday, local volunteers reached out to their peers – other AARP members in the Bay State – during a phone bank in Boston. 

The message: "Call Senator Kerry, Senator Brown, and your U.S. Representative; tell them no deal to reduce the deficit should cut Social Security and Medicare benefits. In just a few days, the President and Congress may make a political deal that could cut Social Security and Medicare benefits for today’s seniors and tomorrow’s retirees."

In Massachusetts, more than a million residents rely on Social Security and Medicare. While Social Security benefits remain modest for retired workers – approximately $1,100 a month – Medicare costs continue to increase. 

For those who count on Medicare for health and prescription drug coverage, they pay about $5,500 annually, out of their own pockets, for medical expenses.

“Now is the time for action,” says Deborah Banda, state director of AARP Massachusetts, who recently returned from Washington, DC, after meeting with members of the state’s Congressional delegation about the deficit debate.

“Our members must raise their voices, and let Congress know that they are paying attention, and they won’t accept cuts to their hard-earned benefits.” 

Already, 24,000 Massachusetts residents have reached out to their elected officials, telling them to protect Social Security and Medicare.

During the phone bank held at AARP’s Massachusetts state office in Boston, AARP Massachusetts Executive Council Volunteer Joseph Feaster from Stoughton said, “I am here because I believe in citizen action.  Our elected politicians need to hear from us.  I encourage my fellow AARP members to tell Congress: ‘No. No. No cuts to the Medicare and Social Security programs!’”

According to the AARP, the Medicare benefit cuts potentially on the table as part of a deficit deal could force seniors to pay thousands more for health care.  And, the cuts to Social Security would reduce seniors’ monthly benefit check and cost them thousands of dollars more over their lifetime.

“While the President and Congress must make tough decisions to get our country’s fiscal house in order, Social Security did not contribute one dime to the federal deficit, and shouldn’t be cut to fix it,” says Banda.

AARP Medicare Copyment Increases | US Senators | The Daily Caller

The AARP, formerly the The American Association of Retired Persons,  sent U.S. senators a letter last week asking them to oppose any increases in Medicare copayments.

But the self-described pro-senior group hasn’t acknowledged that it has a financial stake in the debate’s outcome.

Several debt-ceiling plans floated in the House and the Senate have included the possibility of increasing existing copayment amounts or adding copayments to certain Medicare services that haven’t charged them before, including in-home health care.

Another floated idea which could potentially damage the AARP financially is one in which Medigap plans would no longer cover seniors’ Medicare copayments.

Medigap plans are supplemental health insurance coverage options that seniors can purchase in addition to their Medicare plans.

The AARP collects 4.95 percent of every dollar United HealthCare takes in from AARP members’ Medigap plan premiums. Not allowing Medigap plans to cover seniors’ Medicare copayment costs is a disincentive for AARP members to continue purchasing the supplemental coverage.

In its letter to Congress, the AARP made no mention of any financial stake it may have in the debate over changes to Medicare copayment arrangements. An AARP spokesperson refused to answer when The Daily Caller asked for a clarification about whether or not the group believed it could be financially affected by the result.

Instead, the spokesperson told TheDC the group “opposes policies that simply shift costs to seniors in Medicare, rather than addressing rising costs throughout the system.”

“Our advocacy is based on the best interests of older Americans — nothing else,” the spokesperson said in an email. “We are focused on the impact on real people, not the impact on AARP.” (Debt talks at the White House continue)

Rep. Phil Gingrey, Georgia Republican, disagrees. He says the AARP is more interested in protecting its own bottom line than in advocating on behalf of older Americans. “They’re looking after their own interests,” Gingrey told TheDC. “And, when you look at the particulars, then you realize that they get more of their revenue, in fact a lot more, from royalties from selling and endorsing products like Medigap.”

The AARP did not refer to “Medigap” at all in the letter it sent to Senators last week. According to the AARP spokesperson, that’s because the lobbying group believes the Medicare copayment issue is one that matters to seniors regardless of whether they pay for supplemental Medigap insurance.

The AARP Guide to Pills, Essential Information on More Than 1,200 Prescription and Nonprescription Medications, Including Generics

One Nation Under AARP, The Fight Over Medicare, Social Security, and America's Future

Medicare, issues in political economy

Medicare Matters, What Geriatric Medicine Can Teach American Health Care

Congressional Record, Volume 149