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Advocates Push Candidates on Alzheimer’s Care

Amid a divisive election season, voters from across the political spectrum have united behind a pivotal patient access issue: expanding coverage of Alzheimer’s disease treatments.  

Patients, care partners and advocates have been calling upon candidates to address federal restrictions to the novel treatments. So far, neither Vice President Harris nor former President Trump has taken a public stance. 

Voters Support Broader Medicare Coverage 

Opinion polls show Medicare coverage for FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drugs is a priority for voters across party lines. In fact, 92% of likely voters support Medicare’s role in covering these essential treatments. 

Such overwhelming public consensus could signal political advantage for a candidate who pledges to expand availability to Alzheimer’s medications through public health programs. Medicare has repeatedly limited patient access to the drugs, citing a need for more evidence.  

It’s a difficult stance for Americans to accept, given the increasing burden of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Nearly 7 million Americans live with the disease, and almost twice that many act as caregivers. Incremental improvements, including diagnostic blood tests and drugs with the potential to slow cognitive decline, are brightening a grim prognosis, but only for those who can access treatment. Early treatment is known to be particularly critical in Alzheimer’s disease, making Medicare’s restrictions all the more challenging. 

Advocates Argue for Easing Coverage Restrictions 

Medicare currently follows a “coverage with evidence development” policy for Alzheimer’s treatments, limiting covered access to drugs to only those participating in a patient registry, even as a growing number of studies prove their benefits. While this policy aims to ensure drugs’ efficacy, it creates barriers for those seeking quick availability of new treatments.  

Advocates argue that FDA-approved drugs should be available without restrictive policies as a way to better support patients living with the disease who are not enrolled in, or eligible for, clinical trials. Facing a degenerative condition like Alzheimer’s, the one thing patients and their families don’t have is time to wait. 

Drug Coverage is a Bipartisan Effort 
 
Expanding Medicare’s coverage of Alzheimer’s treatments could be a vital step toward supporting patients and families affected by this devastating disease.  

With bipartisan voter support and advocacy organizations urging action, policymakers have a unique opportunity to gain ground on the issue of Alzheimer’s care. Patients living with this disease shouldn’t have to wait another four years to be noticed. 


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