The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is the largest and most influential advocacy group in the United States, representing the interests of adults aged 50 and older. It was in 1958 that Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired educator, founded the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), a non-profit organization with more than 38 million members.

AARP's mission is to give retired people the freedom to pursue their ideal lifestyles, regardless of age, via advocacy, information, and service. Some of the many perks available to AARP members are discounts, healthcare plans, insurance options, travel services, educational opportunities, and learning materials

The Operation of AARP

AARP offers a wide range of resources for older Americans through its local chapters and knowledgeable volunteers. It advocates for consumers in legislative, judicial, and consumer areas on economic security, employment, health, and autonomy.

In addition to being a thriving corporation that offers insurance, investments, and other financial and non-financial services, AARP is widely recognized as an influential lobbying group. Modern Maturity magazine and the AARP Bulletin, published monthly, are products of this company's publishing arm. In 2019, AARP earned $1.70 billion from several sources, including magazine and website advertising and royalties for using the organization's name and logo.

Nonetheless, membership dues are the primary revenue driver. The IRS has recognized it as a 501(c)(4) charitable organization, which allows it to lobby on behalf of its causes. Some of its operations are for profit, while others are public charities organized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Members of the AARP Network

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is linked with several other groups that promote tutoring and mentoring for youngsters.

AARP Services creates and manages new services and products, and the company makes money from them. The District of Columbia is home to a non-profit called Legal Counsel for the Elderly. AARP Financial Services is a for-profit entity that owns AARP properties. Some AARP group insurance programs are handled through the AARP Insurance Plan.

AARP is involved in a wide variety of other endeavors, including campaigns to improve driving safety (AARP Driver Safety), the creation of television shows aimed specifically at the senior population, and the promotion of social causes through sponsorships (such as the awareness and elimination of hunger in the United States).

Since 1962, when he was hired, John McHugh has been in charge of the pharmacy. He left it with 250 employees and an annual prescription volume of 8 million. Besides cost, discretion and ease of use were major selling points. It was expanded to include a range of generic alternatives.

Issues raised with the AARP

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is a powerful lobbying group that regularly makes headlines for its efforts to influence policymaking in Washington, D.C. and state capitals across the country. It also receives millions of dollars annually in federal funds for its non-profit operations. Its stances, according to some, are on the liberal end of the political spectrum.

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Dr. Ethyl Percy Andrus, a professor at the University of California, is recognized as "one of the truly brilliant women of recent American history," in the words of AARP critic Dale Van Atta. After retiring from her position as the first female high school administrator in California, Andrus became concerned about the plight of her fellow educators. They were forced to scrape by on meager pensions.

Shaking up the 1960s Drug Scene

To assist seniors with the exorbitant expense of prescriptions, Andrus and Davis established the "AARP Drug Buying Service" mail-order pharmacy in 1959. Both Andrus and the service's first administrator, the pioneer of medication discounting

Herbert Haft testified before Congress about the excessive cost of pharmaceuticals. Prominent druggists advocated for a ban on Drug Program stores and even boycotted some of the companies who supplied them. Since neither AARP nor Retired Persons' Services, Inc. (RPS) paid sales taxes, pharmacists' groups have been vocal in their objection regarding safety, community, and service.