AARP Could Gain From Insurance Changes It Backs

AARP, the massive seniors organization that has lobbied actively for health-care reform, stands to reap substantial financial benefits from some of the proposals it is backing, according to The Washington Post.

AARP lends its name to insurance policies and other products in exchange for a tax-exempt share of the premiums, through which it collected more than $650-million last year, and the organization heavily markets the policies in mailings and on its Web site.

Some Congressional Republicans say the nonprofit group’s dual role as insurance broker and player in the health-care debate represents a conflict of interest, but organization officials maintain that the best interests of its members are paramount in both arenas. “We spend far more time at odds with private insurers than not,” the group’s spokesman Jim Dau said.

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