Michael Booth and Karen E. Crummy of The Denver Post report that, with AARP effectively neutralized by fire from both sides, seniors – who make up a disproportionately large number of voters – are serving as a massive wild card in the health care reform debate.
Almost all of them are pleased as punch with their current Medicare coverage, Booth and Crummy report, and fear that any expansion of care to those younger than themselves will come at Medicare’s expense.
With 40 million members, a hefty budget and more than 50 lobbyists, AARP has the resources to be a power player in the reform battle. So far, though, the organization has (for the most part) sat on the sidelines, making only vague pronouncements about health care for all that doesn’t compromise Medicare coverage.
AARP has, in some ways, become a victim of its own size. It represents such a broad segment of the population that it’s being pulled in all directions by different groups of active members. Some, angry that the lobby is supporting health care at all, have even canceled their memberships. Booth and Crummy write that AARP’s troubles have extended a lifeline to fringe senior groups, at least one of which is expecting significant increases in membership as a result of the behemoth’s recent woes.
