[GailA]

When I had my Peripheral Neuropathy diagnosed we started getting calls from the Diabetes associations...I’m non-diabetic. It goes to prove they sell your names to these orgs. I’m surprised I haven’t gotten any from the Arthritis ones.

[justiceseeker93]

I was suggesting a special, probably unauthorized, cozy relationship between the federal government and AARP. My guess is that the Social Security Administration gives mailing lists of all persons over 50 registered with Social Security and eligible for benefits. This is a an effective way for the AARP to get members and funding. In return, the AARP advocates and lobbies for ever-expanding Social Security and Medicare benefits, and opposes any efforts at retooling these programs to address the national deficit and debt.

I wasn't thinking in terms of medically-oriented charities getting mailing lists from each other, or from the government, which probably goes on as well.