AARP Presentation

Why People Join

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One of AARP’s main appealing factors lie in its material benefits, including the monetary benefits and services it offers. There are many discounts available to members, and these can be used at restaurants, for travel, and health. AARP also offers an auto buying program, auto insurance benefits, and a Smart Driver course, and in addition, it offers a free Tax-Aide program for low- to moderate-income filers to receive help with tax preparation.

Another large part of AARP's appeal comes from the information it contains. The website is an excellent place to find relevant political and helpful information that pertains to what senior citizens are mostly concerned with. AARP disseminates information in various ways, such as its bimonthly magazine, but what they all have in common is that the information is tailored to what a senior wants or needs to know.

The idea that AARP will fight to implement policy that benefits its members is also an appealing factor. For example, AARP states that members are represented by voices in Washington and in their state on issues such as Medicare, Social Security, and consumer safety, and these things are very appealing to older citizens who are considering membership.

History:

Founded in 1958 by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired high school principal, AARP was originally the National Retired Teachers Association, which Andrus had founded in 1947. The association had been a platform for Andrus to promote her philosophy of productive aging. At the time, private health insurance was largely unavailable to older Americans, so in an effort to provide this benefit to NRTA members, Andrus found a provider who was willing to take the risk of carrying older citizens. Soon enough, Andrus began receiving inquiries from non-members who wanted to know how to get this insurance, and she realized it was necessary for her to expand her organizations beyond teachers – and so, the American Association of Retired Persons, or AARP, was born. Today, NRTA is a division within AARP. IN 1963, the Association of Retired Persons International was also founded by Andrus, and though this was disbanded in 1969, AARP continues to hold an international presence and work with the international aging community.

Because of the revolving door, AARP is very effective when using attention-grabbing tactics. One of the things AARP Foundation Litigation is tasked with is writing and submitting amicus curiae briefs for court cases that concern issues of AARP’s focus. For example, they filed a brief in the plaintiff’s appeal in the case Tramp vs Associated Underwriters, which involved a company who terminated four workers, two of whom were asked not to rely on the company for insurance and instead solely Medicare because their age was greatly increasing the price of their insurance policy. The women refused and were terminated not long after, and AARP began work on the case as they saw it was a prevalent issue to their cause.

Another thing they do to attract Congress and state legislatures is lobby. AARP lobbies on a variety of issue, with the top five in 2014 being health issues, retirement, Medicare and Medicaid, the federal budget and appropriations, and taxes. In 2005, AARP reached its highest lobbying expenditure, with $36,302,064 being spent on lobbying. In 2014, the number was $6,730,000.

AARP also attracts Congress and state legislatures by mobilizing its members to contact decision-makers and speak out on an issue. AARP uses its website and advertisements as a way to publicize issues to its members, who may become motivated to fight for the issue, and provide ways for these members to get their voices heard. For example, they offered an online template for people to contact decision-makers in Illinois about the Secure Choice Savings Program. They also put out commercials to raise awareness of hunger in citizens 50 and older as part of the Drive to End Hunger. Using mass-mobilization is an effective technique because public opinion is likely to influence a policymaker's decision.

http://ispot.tv/a/77uf

AARP is funded through membership dues ($16 per year), as well as through donations and the commercial operations of its business arm, AARP Financial. This provides financial planning, investment services, and its private insurance Medicare Complete (or Medigap), from which AARP yields royalty fees. The AARP Foundation, which is technically separate from the AARP (however, these two organizations work so closely that they are hard to distinguish between), receives funding through the federal government.

As a self-advertised nonpartisan 501(c)(4) AARP does not fundraise for candidates because they claim they do “not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates”. However, AARP’s employees contribute to campaigns/candidates. AARP does not have a PAC, so all AARP contributions are from individuals. Of the top twelve recipients of AARP-affiliated money, a majority won in both 2012 and 2014. For example, in 2014, Mike Honda received AARP’s top amount given ($3,500) and is now a Democratic House representative from California. AARP, though nonpartisan, has clearly left-leaning executives, with another example being the 14:1 Democrat to Republican monetary contribution ratio of AARP in 2008.

About 2/3 of AARP’s executive board

were former government employees. For example, CEO Jo Ann Jenkins was previously Chief Operating Officer at the Library of Congress. Some, like Executive Vice President and Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Martha M. Boudreau, did not directly hold government positions, but instead worked closely with the government. Boudreau, formerly president for the mid-Atlantic and Latin American regions for FleishmanHillard, led efforts that resulted in the the company becoming the largest public relations provider for the United States Government. Also, 22 out of 57 AARP lobbyists in 2013 to 2014 were previous government employees.

One of the things AARP was involved with last year was their campaign, Drive to End Hunger, which is not only aimed at raising funds to fight hunger in the older-age community, but to raise awareness about it. Launched by AARP and the AARP Foundation in 2011, it was created with the hope that both short- and long-term solutions could be found for hunger in people 50 and older. In collaboration with Hendrick Motorsports and driver Jeff Gordon, awareness is spread with education, engagement, and teamwork, and as a result, more than 30 million meals have been donated to older-age hungry citizens. In time, this may lead to legislation or other effective measures passed to improve food security.

Another success for AARP was the passing of the Secure Choice Savings Program through the Illinois Senate and House, where it now lays in the hands of the governor. AARP Illinois has strongly supported this bill for much of the past year, as it is a cause very much in line with AARP’s. The bill gives those who do not have access to retirement plans at work the ability to save through an employment- based Individual Retirement Account.

Currently, AARP is in the midst of pushing further implementation of its CARE Act, which it developed and is now advocating on behalf of the millions of caregivers in the United States. Last year, Oklahoma and New Jersey enacted it, and Hawaii assigned a task force to explore the feasibility of introducing the bill this year. AARP will continue its efforts so that other states can adopt the act this year as well. The act calls for hospitals to identify a designated caregiver when a patient is admitted, notify the caregiver of a patient’s movement or discharge, and most importantly, give adequate caregiving instructions upon discharge.

http://blog.aarp.org/2014/03/10/the-care-act-caring-for-family-caregivers/

http://www.ahherald.com/newsbrief/monmouth-news/18820-governor-christie-signs-the-care-act

Very recently, Congress approved a $1.1 trillion spending plan, which may cut over 1 million pensions nationwide. The plan allows multiemployer pension plans projected to run out of money in the next 10-20 years to cut benefits under certain guidelines. AARP has taken issue with this, even writing a letter to congressional leaders criticizing the move. AARP will probably begin taking measures that focus on aiding the people affected by this, such as publishing articles on their website that may provide needed information, and they will certainly not stop voicing their opinions on it just yet.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/12/retirement/pension-cuts/

Today AARP is a 501(c)(4) group that functions primarily as a consumer and public interest lobby, due to the fact that its main activity is lobbying the interests of those it represents (citizens 50+) so that policies most pertinent to them can be shaped to their benefit (for example, health care reform). It has 37 million members, which are made up of citizens 50 and older and their spouses. Diversity is encouraged, and the organization even has special areas of the website dedicated to certain groups of people in order to integrate them further into the organization – for example, there is an “Asian Community” page that is tailored towards older-age Asian-Americans, offering articles about things like Asian food and the Chinese New Year.

Because AARP fights for policies that only affect the potential group of members, there can possibly be a free-rider problem due to the thought that anything AARP accomplishes will affect a person regardless of membership status. However, AARP uses other mechanisms such as offering member benefits, like access to discounts, which help combat the issue.

AARP has a 15-member executive team and a 21-member volunteer Board of Directors at the national level, with staffed offices in all 50 states plus Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

AARP Lobbyists

Former Government Employees

A-

The AARP receives an A- for the following reasons:

• There is a potential free-rider problem because policy cannot be withheld from non-members and so there is less incentive for people to join, thus lessening the effectiveness of the group. However, the discounts and information-filled publications AARP offers give incentive for people to join, which aids in combating the free-rider problem.
• Though the group is large and may create difficulty in organization/focusing on the group's goals, the large number of members may actually be beneficial because of the use of mass mobilization, which works effectively since public opinion is often represented in policies. However, since achieving policy does not always directly benefit membership activities, there is still some issue with how large the group is in terms of effectiveness and focus.
• Though not a single issue group (which is usually successful in pushing policy because of the intensity and focus it has), AARP still may have an advantage in getting policy passed because the emotional connection that is tied to a senior's well-being, which offers a psychological advantage.
• Being very wealthy gives AARP an advantage because the group can spend more on lobbying and thus have better access to politicians.
• The strategies that AARP uses to attract attention from the agencies that oversee their concerns (writing amicus briefs, lobbying, and mass mobilization) are very effective ways of being heard.

Mission Statement: AARP enhances the quality of life for all as we age. We champion positive social change and deliver value through advocacy, information, and service.

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