Every day in America, 42 AARP members die because they did not take their medications as prescribed. 353 people will die today from not taking their pills. 42 of those will be AARP members.
Not because the medication failed. Not because the diagnosis was wrong. Not because the treatment didn't exist. Because they forgot. Because no one reminded them. Because a simple, automated text message or email — the kind that costs less than a cup of coffee a month — was not part of their day.
Forty-two people. Every day. More than 15,000 AARP members every year. Gone not from disease, but from the absence of a reminder.
The Offer
RememberPills.com reached out to AARP with an offer. Two full years of RememberPills.com — free — for every one of AARP's nearly 40 million members. No cost to AARP. No cost to members. A platform that the National Institutes of Health has documented improves medication adherence by up to 70 percent, delivered to the exact population that needs it most, at exactly no charge.
The Response
AARP's New Product Development Team responded promptly. Their reply was courteous and final.
They added that they would store the information in their database and might follow up if their strategy changed. They also suggested advertising with them instead.
Who Is AARP?
AARP was founded in 1958 with a single mission: to empower people to choose how they live as they age. It has grown into one of the most powerful advocacy organizations in the world, with 40 million members, a $1.7 billion annual budget, and a staff of more than 1,800 people. Its magazine reaches more households than any other publication in America. Its lobbying arm shapes Medicare, Social Security, and prescription drug policy at the federal level.
And when offered a free tool that could prevent the deaths of 15,000 of its members every year, it said the offer was not aligned with its current strategy.
The Numbers
The numbers behind medication non-adherence are not new. The NIH has published them for decades. The CDC tracks them. CMS has built medication adherence into 21 percent of the weighted Medicare Star Rating score — the system that determines how many billions of dollars Medicare Advantage plans receive from the federal government each year. The federal government does not treat medication adherence as a soft wellness issue. It treats it as a core quality metric worth billions of dollars.
129,000 Americans die every year from medication non-adherence. 353 every day. The annual economic cost to the healthcare system is $500 billion — more than the entire gross domestic product of Sweden. These are not fringe statistics. They come from peer-reviewed research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and the Annals of Internal Medicine.
What RememberPills.com Does
RememberPills.com is not a pharmaceutical product. It is not a medical device. It does not require a prescription, a doctor's visit, a smartphone, or an internet connection. Morning, noon, and night — a simple text message or email arrives. Don't forget your medications. No medications listed. No names required. No passwords. No app. Just an email address and a phone number.
For AARP's 40 million members, the offer on the table was simpler than that. Two years. Free. For everyone.
The offer was declined.
Forty-two members died today. Forty-two will die tomorrow. AARP's database has the information on file. They may follow up if their strategy changes.
AARP Said No to Giving Every One of Its Members Two Years Free
RememberPills.com is a live medication adherence platform based in Fort Myers, Florida. No app. No medications listed. No names required. No passwords. Just an email address and a phone number. $1.99 a month after a 30-day free trial.
AARP said no to giving every one of its members two years free.
Contact: IWantMoreInfo@RememberPills.com | RememberPills.com
The Complete and Unedited Response From AARP Services, Inc.
Dear Mitch,
Thank you for your interest in working with AARP and serving our members. We always appreciate receiving new options to consider for inclusion in our AARP member benefit package.
It is our goal to select and deliver products and services that significantly enhance the quality of life for people aged 50+ and that have the broadest appeal and greatest value to AARP's nearly 40 million members.
At this time, your product or service is not aligned with our current strategy and is therefore not a fit for our portfolio of member benefits. However, we will store your information in our database and may contact you at a later point should our strategies change to more closely align with your potential offering.
If you're interested in advertising with us please visit https://advertise.aarp.org/ or email adsales@aarp.org.
Your dedication and interest in serving the 50+ marketplace is important to us. Thank you again for your interest in serving AARP and its members.
Sincerely,
The New Product Development Team
AARP Services, Inc.