COMMENTARY: AARP’s 2024 Great Senior Scare

Only in Washington can Congress’s bipartisan efforts to combat fraud in Medicare and Social Security cause alarm from organizations claiming to be advocates for seniors.

A recent AARP fundraising letter shows how much AARP fears congressional efforts to combat fraud in these programs. It amounts to scaremongering among America’s seniors.

Congress is reasonably concerned about the national debt, estimated at $34 trillion. Spending cuts are one tool Congress can use to reduce debt. Another tool is tax increases. Neither approach is popular with voters. Other ways Congress can lessen the debt is to combat Medicare and Social Security fraud and reduce government administrative costs. These two ideas are popular with working Americans and some senior groups.

AARP’s 2024 Great Senior Scare letter does not mention fraud in the programs.

In 2023, Forbes estimated Medicare and Medicaid fraud was more than $100 billion annually. In 2023, the Social Security Administration reported that it paid $1.3 billion to workers who were wrongfully determined to be disabled. Medicare and Social Security fraud are serious problems that Congress needs to address. AARP needs to work with Congress to combat fraud.

Fraud in Medicare and Social Security is an important issue for seniors. Why is Medicare and Social Security fraud not important to Jo Ann C. Jenkins, AARP’s CEO?

In her two-page, 19-paragraph 2024 Great Senior Scare letter, Jenkins fails to mention fraud in the programs. By failing to address fraud, Jenkins writes as though she wants Congress to continue paying billions to companies, physicians and individuals who defraud the programs. What she does not fail to do is ask seniors for financial donations to fund AARP.

“Like many, you may believe politicians will never actually cut your Social Security and Medicare. But right now, there is a growing bipartisan interest for a commission in Congress that could lead to cuts in Social Security and Medicare in order to reduce our country’s debt,” Jenkins writes in her 2024 Great Senior Scare letter.

It is Congress’ job to identify and eliminate program fraud and assure taxpayers that criminals are prosecuted. These actions could restore some public confidence in the federal government.

When Medicare and Social Security are defrauded, it increases the costs of the programs and the national debt. When leaders such as Jenkins fail to acknowledge a need for Congress to combat fraud in Medicare and Social Security, AARP members could question her leadership ability. She should give AARP members guidance on reporting Medicare and Social Security fraud. She should provide Congress her recommendations on fighting fraud in Medicare and Social Security.

Intergovernmental Social Security and Medicare fraud are seldom discussed and difficult to prevent. Federal employees injured at work have insurance coverage from their employer through the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. If Labor’s bureaucrats or contractors accidentally deny claims, the Coordination of Benefits and Recovery Act (COBRA) allows Medicare and other insurers to recover payments for “misbilled” claims from Labor or the Treasury.

COBRA has saved Medicare billions of dollars. However, it should not take added bureaucracy to combat Medicare and Social Security fraud.

Bureaucracy is not the solution to ending fraud in Medicare and Social Security. Bureaucracy often enables fraud by burying it under more bureaucracy. A 2023 Senate report documented $900 billion in dubious government-funded research and improper federal payments. Federal bureaucrats and contractors need better management and training to prevent such staggering losses.

In her 2024 Great Senior Scare letter, Jenkins wants AARP members to send her a financial contribution “to support our efforts.” Until she offers AARP members and Congress recommendations on fighting fraud in Medicare and Social Security, seniors should question whether Jenkins deserves any donations.

Americans should demand that Congress fight and eliminate fraud in Medicare and Social Security. America’s seniors deserve the retirement security they worked so hard to obtain.

James Patterson is an American author. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.