AARP or the  American Association for Retired Persons started in 1958. You can join AARP if you are 50 years old and above. AARP does not offer health insurance but recommends insurance companies to its member senior citizens and retirees. They recommend United Health for health insurance, New York Life for life insurance, and Hartford for auto insurance. Even if these types of insurance are coursed through AARP, their benefits and policies are the same as that of the underwriting companies. If you are interested in applying for an insurance from AARP, you cannot get them at a lower cost as the rates are already set. — May 25, 2009 @ 1:16 pm

AARP was started in 1958 as a Non Government organization and interest group dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of senior citizens in the US. It now has over 40 million members making it one of the largest membership organizations in the US. AARP has tie-ups with different insurance companies for life, heath, home and car insurance and these companies typically give good deals to members. AARP endorses New York Life for life insurance, United Health for health insurance, and The Hartford for home and auto insurance.

Source: http://aarp.thehartford.com/