Breakthrough Alzheimer’s Medication Must Be Covered By Medicare
I am a board member of the Hudson Valley Alzheimer’s Association and a relative of several family members that have been affected by this debilitating disease.
Thanks to our bipartisan champions in Congress, we’ve made great progress advancing research on Alzheimer’s and dementia, providing hope to families like mine in the midst of a terrible diagnosis and disease progression.
And now the FDA has approved the first Alzheimer’s treatment to address the underlying biology of the disease. It’s lifted that hope higher, and there are other treatments close behind in the research pipeline showing even greater promise.
But with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed decision limiting coverage to those in clinical trials, access will be severely restricted to only those few who live near research institutions or who can afford to pay out-of-pocket. CMS has never limited Medicare coverage like this for any other FDA-approved medication. This is unacceptable.
People like my aunt Georgia, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, and her doctors should be able to decide if an FDA-approved treatment is right for her and should have it covered by Medicare.
My aunt Georgia and all those living with Alzheimer’s deserve better. Please make your voice heard during CMS’s open commenting phase on this new rule change. Together, we can continue to ensure that Alzheimer’s patients, their families and physicians have the tools they need to fight this terrible disease.
Whit Rawlinson
Yorktown Heights
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