I'm not a big fan of AARP as a senior-citizen adovocacy group but I have never heard a bad word about it as an insurance company. In fact, it's its wearing of those two hats -- and often two faces -- that makes me negative on AARP as an advocate. But to its credit the Massachusetts chapter of AARP is out the week of September 3 with a recent survey on Medicare (and Social Security) that seems to accurately reflect what I hear around the senior center.
Just concentrating on the Medicare results, Massachusetts AARP says:
- Almost 60% realize Medicare needs to be reformed for their children and grandchildren; only a quarter say it doesn't need to be changed (which is the Obama administration position; you know dont' change "Medicare as we know it")
- Almost all the 14,000 seniors surveyed said they realize it's take more money or fewer benefits or both to make the reform happen (we seniors didn't just fall of the turnip truck as Obama would like you to believe)
AARP concludes:
"A meaningful discussion about Medicare must also bust some myths... (and make it clear that) Medicare provides limited benefits and does so in a relatively efficient manner."
I agree with the first half of that sentence but not the second. With tens of billions of dollars in waste and abuse according to recent Medicare directors, Medicare is not delivering its insurance services efficiently. But AARP agrees Medicare needs to try harder to solve the waste problem.
-- Dennis Byron
