ALZHEIMER'S: A call for action

With so much attention being given to the growing number of people with Alzheimer’s disease in Idaho I’m hoping that Congressman Raul Labrador, Senator Mike Crapo, and Senator Jim Risch will cosponsor a bill that will help these folks and their families.

The HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act is a bill to provide better care coordination planning after a Medicare beneficiary receives an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. All too often we hear that after all the testing and diagnosis is done the physician gives the patient and family no guidance for what’s next.

In fact, the Alzheimer’s Association in March released a report showing that only 45% of the people diagnosed with the disease are actually told of that diagnosis, versus over 90% of the time for the four most common cancer diagnoses.

One reason is that physicians are not properly reimbursed for taking the time to sit down with the patient and family to help ! them through this difficult news of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. This bill would cover that time, and also launch an effort to educate physicians about the new coverage.

Our Idaho delegation to Congress needs to recognize there is a problem and become cosponsors of this needed legislation.

DAWN COOK

KATIE MANS

Ambassadors in the Fight to End Alzheimer’s

St. Maries