Grand Canyon Times

PHOENIX–Attorney General Mayes is calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide coverage for a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that has been proven to delay the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease.
 
In an April 26 letter, Attorney General Mayes and 25 other attorneys general asked CMS to provide full and unrestricted Medicare coverage for FDA-approved Alzheimer’s treatments, consistent with its decades-long practice of covering FDA-approved prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries.
 
“With America’s senior citizen population projected to reach over 80 million residents 65 years and older by 2040, we must prioritize the health and wellbeing of this population by ensuring access to vital Alzheimer’s treatments,” said Attorney General Kris Mayes. “Providing full and unrestricted Medicare coverage for these FDA-approved treatments is not only a compassionate policy decision but a fiscally responsible one. Delaying the progression of Alzheimer’s disease can reduce the burden on caregivers and potentially save billions of dollars in healthcare costs. We must ensure that older Americans, regardless of where they live, have access to the care they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives.”
 
The treatment specified by attorneys general in the letter is FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against amyloid to help Alzheimer’s patients. Currently, CMS will only cover mAbs when it is administered through clinical trials or other studies.
 
“This decision creates a barrier to care for older Americans, especially individuals living in rural and underserved areas that are unlikely to be served by institutions administering clinical trials,” states the letter.
 
In addition to Attorney General Mayes, the request includes attorneys general from Arkansas, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. 

Original source can be found here.