Congress, take note: Americans aren’t divided when it comes to fighting Alzheimer’s | Opinion

When our newly elected members of Congress take office in January, they’ll confront long lists of competing priorities. Some may find it difficult to know where to start. But voters’ wishes are clear on at least one subject. According to a new poll, Americans overwhelmingly support policies that help patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Our survey of 1,400 voters, conducted this fall, shows that Americans have deeply personal connections to the disease — and want politicians to ensure equal access to treatments. A whopping 92% agreed that Medicare should cover Food and Drug Administration-approved Alzheimer’s drugs for all patients, just as it does for other approved medicines. And 89% believe that Medicare should do so immediately.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease. It causes a progressive loss of brain function, a drawn-out tragedy for patients and their loved ones. No one recovers. More than seven in ten Americans agree that it’s a serious disease.

In recent years, a new class of medicines that slow the progress of the disease has come on the market — a potential godsend for patients and families who want more time together. Yet Medicare restricts coverage of the novel treatments to only a select group. To qualify, patients must enroll in approved clinical trials. Plus, doctors and patients must meet strict eligibility requirements, and agree to submit patient data to a registry.

Medicare says it needs that data to assess whether the new Alzheimer’s treatments “meaningfully improve health outcomes,” even though the FDA has already judged them to be safe and effective. This marks an unprecedented approach to an approved drug.

It’s already hard for some patients to find clinicians who will prescribe Alzheimer’s treatments, and the Medicare requirements add another barrier. Many healthcare providers don’t have the resources to run a trial or submit clinical data, and of those that do, many are located in cities. Patients in rural or underserved areas simply don’t have access.

Americans oppose Medicare placing restrictions on patients’ access. According to our poll, the consensus that Medicare should cover Alzheimer’s treatments holds across voters of all ages, genders, ethnicities, economic levels, and political parties. In short, their views are more widely shared than on almost any other issue. Even the percentages of Americans who say they love pizza or ice cream come in lower.

Voters’ near-unanimous agreement also held no matter how we worded the question. It never dipped below 88% across six different variations of the statement “Medicare should provide all Medicare recipients access to Alzheimer’s medications the same way they do for FDA-approved medications for all other diseases.”

These views appear to be rooted in everyday experience. More than six in 10 voters surveyed said that they, a family member, or a close friend have had Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. About a third said they have cared for or are currently caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.

Voters want politicians to take the problem seriously. Nearly three out of five said they’d be more likely to vote for leaders who support requiring Medicare to cover FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drugs that can slow the progression of early Alzheimer’s disease. Three quarters agreed specifically that if Medicare does not act, Congress and the President should step in to make this happen.

It’s a clear message to the new administration and lawmakers. And in fact, our current leaders can still make a difference during their remaining time in office. There are few better ways to cement a legacy than acting on one of the public’s most important health policy priorities.

At the end of a long election season, Americans are used to hearing about conflicting values and unclear poll results. But on treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, they’re plainly aligned.