Menendez, Capito Introduce Bill To Improve Early Assessment, Diagnosis Of Alzheimer's

Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today introduced bipartisan legislation to encourage early assessment and diagnosis of Alzheimer's. There are over 6 million Americans over 65-years-old living with the disease.

"Early detection and intervention can help improve and prolong the lives of those with Alzheimer's. My mother Evangelina battled Alzheimer's for seven years before she passed away, so I have seen firsthand the toll it takes on families who have a sick loved one who requires long-term care," said Sen. Menendez. "No family deserves to go through the pain of watching their mother or father falter due to this horrible disease, but early diagnosis and assistance can make that daunting task just a little less overwhelming."

"Having lost both of my parents to Alzheimer's, I personally know and understand how devastating this disease can be," said Sen. Capito. "With alarming Alzheimer's statistics growing, action at the disease's earliest stages is needed now more than ever. By prioritizing early assessment and diagnosis, the CHANGE Act will allow patients to play a more active role in their treatment and care-planning."
This year alone, approximately 6.2 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's disease. That number could grow to a projected 12.7 million by 2050 if medical breakthroughs do not occur to help prevent, slow, or cure the disease. The direct financial costs of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias will also continue to increase exponentially, with projections indicating they will reach $1.1 trillion by 2050.

The Concentrating on High-Value Alzheimer's Needs to Get to an End (CHANGE) Act will:

Better utilize the existing Welcome to Medicare initial exam and Medicare annual wellness visits to screen, detect, and diagnose Alzheimer's and related dementias in their earliest stages.
Establish payment measures to incentivize the detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or related dementias and discussion of appropriate care planning services, including the potential for clinical trial participation.
Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) also cosponsored the CHANGE Act. Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) and Darin LaHood (R-Ill.).

Sen. Menendez has been a leading champion in Congress for the 160,000 individuals living with Alzheimer's in New Jersey. The senator's bipartisan Improving HOPE (Health, Outcomes, Planning, and Education) for Alzheimer's Act passed Congress and was signed into law last year.

The senator is the recipient of the Alzheimer's Association's Humanitarian Award in recognition of his ongoing work to improve federal response to Alzheimer's disease. He was also recognized in 2015 at an event at Bergen Community College celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for his efforts to pass legislation to assist those with Alzheimer's.

Sen. Menendez supported the Obama Administration's National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease, which was called for as part of the National Alzheimer's Project Act, which the Senator co-sponsored, and applauded President Obama in 2009 when he reversed a Bush-era ban on embryonic stem cell research, which scientists say has the potential to bring about advancements in diseases such as Alzheimer's.

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