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Republican members of a House Ways and Means subcommittee grilled AARP Chief Executive Officer Barry Rand and AARP President Lee Hammond on the nonprofit organization's health insurance operations.

Rand defended the group's public policy

 positions and said money received from insurance licensing agreements was used to fund social-welfare programs for AARP's 37 million members.

Republicans argued that the group would gain financially by cutbacks in the law to the Medicare Advantage program that delivers Medicare health benefits through private insurers.

"The facts show AARP no longer operates like a seniors' advocacy organization," said health subcommittee Chairman Wally Herger, a California Republican. "Instead, it more closely resembles a for-profit insurance company."

Herger was referring to a report on

 AARP finances and operations that he wrote with fellow Republican Representative Dave Reichert and which was released this week. They have asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate AARP's tax-exempt status as a nonprofit organization.

Democrats questioned the motives of Republicans for holding the hearing, saying it was political payback for supporting Obama's healthcare restructuring.

"Your sin ... is that you

 backed the Affordable Care Act," Democratic Representative Jim McDermott said to Rand.

LOSING MONEY

Rand challenged the Republican report's findings saying: "We reject the allegation that our public policy positions are influenced by our revenues."