WASHINGTON, DC—AARP today sent a letter to every member of the U.S. Senate urging them to start from scratch on the health care legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last week. The letter comes as AARP also begins to inform its members how each House member voted on the bill. 

“The deeply flawed House bill would add an Age Tax, increasing health care costs by thousands of dollars each year we grow older, and put millions of American families at risk of finding health care unaffordable or unavailable,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. She told senators: “AARP urges you to ‘start from scratch’ and craft health care legislation that ensures robust insurance market protections, controls costs, improves quality, and provides affordable coverage to all Americans.”

AARP’s letter notes that big insurance companies could charge older Americans five times – or more – for coverage, and charge many Americans more than their take home pay, noting, “The median annual income for  50-64 year old Americans is less than $25,000… [The House health bill] would remove pre-existing condition protections and once again allow insurance companies to charge Americans more -- we estimate up to $25,000 more -- due to a pre-existing condition.” 

About 40% of older Americans, nearly 25 million, have a pre-existing condition.

AARP’s full letter to the Senate is here. Past statements and releases about the House bill can be found here. Fact sheets about the Age Tax and other harmful policies can be found here. 

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About AARP
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to families with a focus on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name.  As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world’s largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.