News Intelligence Analysis
AARP endorses Republicans' Medicare
bill --
after being consulted during the writing
MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer
Monday, November 17, 2003
©2003 Associated Press
This article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle at www.sfgate.com
(11-17) 18:12 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --
In the culmination of a long courtship, Republicans won the AARP's support for Medicare prescription drug legislation on Monday, and the nation's most prominent seniors organization said it would spend $7 million or more in a huge barrage of television advertising to back the plan.
The bill is not perfect, AARP chief executive William D. Novelli told the Associated Press in an interview, ading, "But the country can't afford to wait for perfect."
The organization, which claims 35 million members age 50 and over, issued its endorsement as President Bush met with lawmakers who negotiated the terms of the bill, and Democratic critics renewed their attacks.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., called AARP's support "the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval when it comes to seniors' issues." And Republicans, who made a series of concessions to gain the AARP's endorsement, said the group's actions would translate into votes from lawmakers.
Novelli said in the interview his organization would "pull out all the stops" to get the bill passed, including a three-day television campaign timed for the run-up to expected action on the legislation in the House and Senate at the end of the week.
John Rother, the group's policy director, said the television advertising would cost $7 million for three days beginning on Wednesday, including some commercials on national cable and others on local broadcast stations in areas around the country. The group will run newspaper advertisements, as well.
Rother said the AARP was prepared to spend more if Congress has not voted before Friday.
Democrats voiced their displeasure.
Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said, "When seniors see the details of the Republican plan, the AARP leadership will undoubtedly regret this ill-advised decision." House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said, "AARP's national leadership has been co-opted by Republicans pushing a partisan bill that fails to provide a real prescription drug benefit under Medicare."
Republicans for months had yearned for AARP's endorsement as a foil against Democratic allegations that the GOP is out to gut the government-run health insurance program for 40 million older and disabled Americans. They believe the group's seal of approval will put pressure on Democrats to support the bill, however much they dislike specific provisions.
"AARP is a vitally important group, not because they swing votes necessarily, but because they do represent seniors, 40 million seniors," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
The legislation would create a prescription drug benefit for the elderly beginning in 2006 and establish a new role for private health plans in Medicare, encouraging them to offer seniors the choice of receiving coverage under managed care plans and preferred provider organizations.
One of the last issues resolved in months of closed-door negotiations involved efforts to keep employers from dropping drug coverage for retirees once the new drug benefit kicks in in 2006. The issue was high on AARP's list of priorities.
Frist, R-Tenn., and Hastert met twice with Novelli at key moments in the negotiations on the drug bill, Republican congressional officials said.
These Republican officials said Novelli made three demands: more money to entice employers to maintain health benefits for their retirees; a temporary, limited program of competition between traditional Medicare and private insurance plans, and the removal of a Senate provision that AARP said would allow employers to eliminate all health benefits for retirees eligible for Medicare or state health plans.
The compromise negotiators and congressional leaders reached Saturday satisfied AARP on all three.
While Republicans have been solicitous, Democrats fumed about a group that has been on their side of many battles.
In private meetings, Kennedy told Novelli he was undercutting Democrats' attempts to get the best bargain they could, officials said. And Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., one of two Democrats taking part in the talks, told Novelli it was up to Democrats, not AARP, to be negotiating.
Novelli said he wouldn't discuss private conversations with either side. And he agreed with Baucus' sentiment that lawmakers should be doing the negotiating.
Still, the former public relations executive is keenly aware of his group's clout and aims to use it. "We have to agree to disagree" with the Democrats," Novelli said.
Republican research on Social Security last year underscored the potential power of AARP.
When GOP strategists prepared mock television commercials on Social Security -- another issue of concern to senior citizens -- they found that invoking the name of AARP was a particularly potent weapon for the Democrats.
"AARP is a dangerous adversary in this debate," one memo said. "They have greater credibility than any entity on this issue and are not viewed as partisan."
In some ways, AARP's dance with Republicans on the Medicare bill is a simple reflection of political reality. Republicans control the White House, Senate and House, and exerting influence means working with them.
Ron Pollack, the president of the health care advocacy group Families USA, said Novelli has made it plain that he "wanted to make sure that AARP functioned on a truly bipartisan basis."
In response to Daschle's tart prediction that he would face a revolt within his organization over this bill, Novelli said, "There's not going to be a revolt within AARP. There's going to be a problem if Congress fails to pass this legislation."
©2003 Associated Press
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