Medicare's Denial of Alzheimer's Treatments "Unjust and harmful"

This past week, advocates turned Capitol Hill purple to bring awareness to the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s and ensure that our elected officials keep dementia a priority across the country. While I was not able to be on Capitol Hill this year, I am writing to share my personal story and amplify the message of my fellow advocates. My mom has been recently diagnosed with mild stage Alzheimer’s. Though her doctor thinks she has had it for a while and wouldn’t be the ideal candidate for the new FDA-approved treatments, there are so many others that are and will not have access as a result of the arbitrary decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). This is just not fair!

Thanks to bipartisan champions in Congress, we’ve made great progress advancing research on Alzheimer’s and all other dementia, providing hope to families in the midst of this terrible disease. As of January 6th, we now have two FDA-approved treatments for the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. However, for the first time ever, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) will not cover these treatments. This decision is unjust and harmful to those living with Alzheimer’s disease. Access to treatment can slow the progression of this fatal disease and give people with Alzheimer’s more time with their loved ones. We need our Members of Congress, including my Representative, Andre Carson, to join us in urging CMS to reverse their decision immediately.

Treatment options for Alzheimer’s are here and offer more time with your loved ones. What would “more time” mean to you and your family?

More than 6 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s, including 110,000 in Indiana — a number expected to nearly triple by 2050.

Never has CMS imposed such drastic barriers to FDA-approved treatments. That is why we need Representative Carson to support full access to treatments and urge CMS to cover critical treatments for Alzheimer’s.