Health Care And Dental Advantages For AARP Members

Are you 50 years of age or older? Are you unsatisfied with your current health care or dental coverage? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then you should seriously consider becoming an AARP member. AARP membership can help you save money on your insurance by helping you find the health and dental coverage that best fits your needs. If you are already an AARP member, but have not looked into the health and dental offerings available with your membership, now is the perfect time to get up to speed.

What Is AARP?

Formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, AARP is a non-governmental organization that looks out for and protects the interests of its 40 million-plus members. Although technically anyone can join AARP, the organization is primary tailored for individuals who are at least 50 years of age. Therefore, it is not a surprise that in order to receive the full benefits of membership, you must be at least 50 years old. Note that you do not need to be retired to join AARP or to receive the full benefits of membership. There is a modest membership fee required to join AARP. This fee must be repaid every year in order to renew your membership. However, there are multiple yearly membership fees which offer a slight annual discount.

What Are The Key Benefits Associated With Joining AARP?

There are several key benefits associated with being an AARP member. These include:
Exclusive Discounts: Because of its size and connections, AARP is able to offer numerous discounts to its members. This includes discounts on:

• Groceries
• Dining And Entertainment
• Retail Shopping
• Travel
• Home Security
• Car Rentals And Roadside Assistance
• Gym Memberships
• Insurance Products

Current Information And Advice On Topics That Are Important To Members: In addition to the discounts, AARP also publishes helpful information and advice that its members can utilize. Topics include:

• Insurance And Health Products
• Financial Services And Products
• Home And Garden
• Food And Travel
• Technology
• Entertainment
• Volunteering Opportunities
• Economic Issues
• Local, National And Global Politics
• Environmental Issues
• Personal Growth And Relationships
• Work And Retirement

A Powerful Lobbying Force: Because of its size and substantial asset base, AARP is a significant lobbying force in Washington D.C. as well as in local and state politics. Given the demographics of its membership base, much of AARP’s lobbying efforts are concentrated on promoting the interests of individuals who are at least 50 years of age. Practically speaking, this means that AARP spends a lot of time trying to ensure that Medicare and Social Security benefits are not reduced by the federal and state governments.

The Heath Care And Dental Benefits Of AARP Membership

Now that you know what AARP is and what it does, it’s time to look at the health care and dental benefits that its members receive. It is important to note that AARP is not an insurance provider. Rather, it partners with insurance companies to provide affordable health and dental care solutions for its members.
Health care benefits include:

• Clear and concise explanations about the health care options available to its members.
• Helping members who are not yet eligible for Medicare find affordable and effective health insurance.
• Helping members who are eligible for Medicare understand all of their coverage options so they can make the right decisions.
• Assisting members who want additional health insurance coverage.
• A prescription drug discount program.
• A fitness and wellness program.

Dental care benefits include:

• Helping members select an appropriate dental plan for their situation.
• Keeping members apprised of current developments in modern dentistry.

Cautionary Note

While AARP is a great resource for helping you to find the best health care and dental insurance coverage, you should note that AARP receives a significant amount of money from health care and dental insurers to endorse their products. Therefore, in addition to taking a look at the AARP recommendations, you should also make sure to shop around outside of the AARP recommended products to make sure that you get the best deal possible on your insurance. While you might ultimately select an AARP recommended plan, it is still a good idea to seek out and evaluate all of your options before selecting coverage.
If you are at least 50 years old and are not satisfied with your current health or dental insurance plans, you might want to consider becoming an AARP member. AARP is very helpful in explaining the different types of plans available to you depending on your age and current coverage. AARP can also recommend individual coverage plans that it endorses. Just make sure that you do some outside research to make sure that you end up with an affordable plan that suits your needs.