AARP, or the American Association of Retired Persons, is a non-governmental and non-profit organization that works on a membership basis. It was established in 1958 through the efforts of Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired school teacher. Its main aim is to work towards improving the quality of life for all people as they age.
Since 1999, the organization has been called as the AARP. Its basic requirement for membership has also changed. It no longer needs people to be retired. But they must be aged at least 50 years or older. The focus is still on issues that affect older people. With more than 38 million members, AARP is a powerful lobbying group.
AARP’s huge membership and its varied activities help it generate most of its income. It doesn’t depend on government grants or private donations. However, it receives both for some programs. One of AARP’s affiliated organizations is AARP Insurance Plans.
AARP Health Insurance
AARP isn’t an insurance company. But it does endorse specific insurance plans provided by health insurance companies. In return for letting the insurance company use its intellectual property, including the AARP name, it receives royalties. These royalties go towards funding the group’s activities.
AARP Health Insurance Plans
Essential Premier Health Insurance: These are high premium health insurance plans offering comprehensive coverage for the insured.
Essential Health Insurance: Low premium fixed cash hospital indemnity plans
Essential Plus Health Insurance: These offer better coverage than basic Essential Health Insurance. They’re a low-cost option to get good health insurance coverage.
Hospital Indemnity Insurance: These competitively priced indemnity plans offer some fixed cash benefits that can complement other health insurance covers the client might have.
For members who are above 65, AARP offers an array of Medicare-related plans:
Medicare Complete: Offers full Medicare benefits and more. This includes covering the cost of prescription drugs and fitness benefits. It doesn’t put limitations on pre-existing conditions.
MedicareRx: This is an exclusive cover for prescription drugs to help older people keep up with the rising cost of medicines.
Medicare Supplement: These plans can help the insured pay some of the expenses that aren’t covered by Medicare.
Health insurance and Medicare related plans can help reduce the cost of health care for senior citizens. AARP Health Plans are more flexible when it comes to considering pre-existing health conditions. So, it’s easier to get health insurance through AARP-endorsed insurance. AARP services are designed to help older people. Those who are retired get easy access to essential services like healthcare.
The AARP is an institution that works to ensure that senior citizens don’t find themselves without health cover. That’s especially important since most of the people that the AARP works for don’t have a regular source of income after retiring.
There are companies that work on collecting and maintaining credit information of consumers. These are known as credit reporting agencies (CRAs). There are three such major CRAs in the country, namely Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Apart from these, there are other smaller-scale agencies too that specialize at the job. If you’re worried about “where to get my credit score?,” the larger CRAs are the most reliable bets.
These major CRAs obtain information from companies that you hold business and transactions with. People or companies that lend you money regularly report to these CRAs on your repaying status. There is also detailed information on the amount you are indebted and whether you have ever defaulted on your payments. Aside from the reports obtained from lenders, these companies also tally your general records based on certain other aspects. Some of these aspects are your public records from the local and state judiciary. These include your tax records and bankruptcy information. This information makes up an important chunk of your credit score and its report.
Equifax
Present in 24 countries, Equifax is an agency that offers consumers protection against identity theft and credit fraudulence. They also sell credit reports and credit monitoring assistance to businesses.
Experian
Experian started off in London and is now a trusted agency in 39 different countries. It provides you with a credit score, credit report, and even credit tracker on subscription. The agency uses FICO 8 system of credit score calculation. Experian was a part of Forbes’ “World’s Most Innovative Companies” in 2018.
TransUnion
Based across 30 countries with a database of over 1 billion consumers, TransUnion is another CRA giant. The agency, like the other ones, will provide you with your credit score and your credit reports. In case you decide to freeze your TransUnion credit report, it will also go the extra mile to notify Equifax and Experian, which frankly is a big help especially in case of identity theft and credit fraud.
So, the next time you are sat wondering “where to get my credit score?,” think of these three giants that provide you with an annual credit score and credit report for free once each year. However, if you are looking for more frequent updates, you can subscribe to their services and receive your monthly updates.
Did you know that you have more than a single credit score? Agencies calculate your credit score based on the data in your credit reports. If you are wondering, “where to get my credit score?,” there are three main credit reporting agencies. These can have different credit scores for you if your information on each of their credit reports is different. Also, these agencies charge a fee to reveal your credit score.
Recently, it has become easier to track and get hold of your credit score without paying any fees. You can get it from your credit card company, your loan provider, and even from a non-profit counselor. Here are a few tips you can use to check your score.