Monday, October 19, 2009

AARP, Obama Care and me

I remember when I got my first notice in the mail asking me to become a member of AARP. I had just turned 50 and it sort of amused me at first because I thought it was for seniors, you know, OLD people. Am I that old already? Good grief. I fought the thought and delayed membership for several years and then decided why not join…afterall, it is an organization that fights for Seniors’ rights and I am all for that. Big mistake.

I dropped the membership like a hot potato because I did not feel that this organization was helping or representing Seniors in the manner it should. It was just another group out to get my money and influenced by politics. It was just a part of the system hoping to profit from it and I felt no loyalty from it or any sincerity towards the very members that kept it alive—all those people they have taken dues from all of these years…the Seniors.

It’s always about the money. AARP wants to become one of the vendors for Obama Care and the organization is speaking out in favor of it even though they know Seniors will pay more and get less. It did the exact same thing when it came to the prescription Drug Plan. It was all about what it would make from the deal, not if the Seniors would be better off.

Since July of this year, it is estimated that about 60,000 Seniors have dropped their membership with AARP and the numbers are growing. More and more of them do not believe that this healthcare plan of Obama’s will be beneficial to them or affordable. Only 35% of seniors over 65 still believe that the President is on track. What we do know right now is that it will cost $900 BILLION in the first 10 years; Obama will raid Medicare for some of the money; and tax the healthcare and insurance industries.

65% of the people who took a recent Poll in September by CBS wanted a public option. There is widespread confusion in the Obama Health care proposal.

Being a cultural conservative and among those who are considered elderly, I am among the only group that Obama lost in the last election. We are also concerned about the rising national debt that has increased by 1/3rd since Obama took office, the corporate bailouts, and the overall "stimulus." The more I read, the more I am worried, that I will no longer be able to afford or have the same quality of healthcare that I enjoy now.


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