“This bill would make
great strides for all of our members and their families….” AARP said
July 14,
as House Committees prepared to review and amend the health care overhaul bill
in the House which contains nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts.

Last week, the Senate
Finance Committee passed its version of health reform, and so, it appears, that
the health care battle will continue to chug along with cuts to Medicare that
will affect up to 14 million seniors across the country (14,000 in Washington
State) and force them off of much-needed supplemental coverage providing them
with critical benefits, such as prescription drugs.

Why would a seniors’
advocacy group support such drastic cuts to Medicare? It simply does not add up.

On September 21,
I sent a
letter to AARP requesting an explanation
for its support for health care legislation, which contains provisions to cut
Medicare and Medicare Advantage.

They responded
on October 1, and yet my questions remain unanswered.
While they state that AARP “would gladly forgo every dime of revenue to fix the
health care system,” AARP continues to run ads touting Medigap plans that will
remain seniors’ only option after the proposed House legislation cuts Medicare
and Medicare Advantage by $500 billion. And while they stated that “AARP is not
an insurance company,” 38 percent of AARP’S annual total operating revenue came
from United HealthCare, but simply 23 percent of total operating revenue came
from membership dues.

And while they state that
“AARP has not endorsed any of the pending bills,” their
support of these proposals is clear.

When I was in law
enforcement, I often sat in a room for hours with a subject, asking questions to
figure out the facts. And if a question wasn’t answered, we continued to ask
until we reached a sensible conclusion.

Late last week, I reached
out again to clarify the questions they didn’t clearly
answer, and I will continue to question them, and work with them until I find
answers for the seniors in my district and across the country.

Cross-posted from redstate.com