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By Suzanne Blake
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A majority of Americans would support paying higher premiums for Medicare if necessary to cover Alzheimer's treatments, according to a new survey commissioned by the Alliance for Aging Research.
The poll, which was conducted by Lake Research Partners and Public Opinion Strategies, discovered 82 percent of Americans support requiring Medicare and insurance companies to cover the Alzheimer's treatments. That includes 65 percent who favored that policy even if it increased health insurance premiums.
If it caused premiums to rise by $5 each month, 73 percent would still support Medicare expanding its coverage to these types of drugs.
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"Voters agree that Medicare beneficiaries should have access to these medicines," Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, said in a statement. "At their core, Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike believe that people with Alzheimer's shouldn't be treated any differently from those with other diseases. Few other issues show these levels of consensus and urgency amongst voters."
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Respondents were also generally against Medicare requiring beneficiaries to participate in clinical research as a condition of receiving coverage for the Alzheimer's medicines.
Currently, Medicare mandates that patients can get coverage for certain Alzheimer's drugs only if they enroll in a clinical trial. There are also strict eligibility requirements on which health workers and hospitals qualify to conduct the trials. This keeps many from being able to receive the top two Alzheimer's treatments, Leqembi and Kisunla.
A majority, 58 percent, also said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate if they supported requiring Medicare to cover these FDA-approved drugs for Alzheimer's patients.
"The American people get that Medicare is a payer, and it's their job to cover and pay for FDA-approved medications, not to dictate clinical care," Sue Peschin, president and CEO of the Alliance for Aging Research, said in a statement. "Voters know that doctors and families with Alzheimer's are more than capable of making treatment decisions based on risks, benefits, and individual health needs—and they'll vote for candidates who promise to make sure that happens.
"They don't like what Medicare has done to restrict access to Alzheimer's treatments, and they want Congress and the President to step in if the agency doesn't change its ways."
The bipartisan support for the Medicare change is likely because Alzheimer's is a deeply personal issue for many Americans who have friends and family suffering from the disease.
"The results of this study reflect the reality for many Americans who are dealing with a situation of Alzheimer's in their family or friend group," Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek.
"If you've had to assist in taking care of a loved one that has suffered through it, you know the incredible amount of expenses that can be accumulated in a short period of time. It's a disease that requires constant care and can be just as emotionally draining as it is financially so. Many present and future Medicare recipients are starting to realize this and don't see the harm in paying more to cover the costs Alzheimer's can bring with it."
And as people live longer in America, the issue of Alzheimer's may be increasingly relevant to voters, said Kevin Thompson, a finance expert and founder and CEO of 9i Capital Group.
"If Medicare funds this through cost-recovery measures, it could benefit the health care industry," Thompson told Newsweek. "This approach would support continued innovation in technology and medicines for seniors, potentially reducing long-term care costs associated with dementia and Alzheimer's."
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