Fighting Alzheimer’s with Innovation, Not Bureaucracy
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most devastating illnesses facing American families. Responsible for up to 80% of all dementia cases, it currently affects seven million Americans—a number expected to double by 2050. The disease steals memories, independence, and loved ones, taking more lives each year than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
But there is hope.
New FDA-approved treatments have shown promise in slowing Alzheimer’s in its early stages, and a groundbreaking blood test now allows for easier and earlier diagnosis. These advances offer families more time with their loved ones.
Unfortunately, red tape too often stands in the way of progress. Patients and doctors need access to the latest FDA-approved therapies, and Medicare must adapt to cover modern diagnostic tools. According to recent polling, over 90% of voters—Republicans and Democrats alike—support requiring Medicare to cover blood tests that can detect Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear.
A Moment for Leadership
President Ronald Reagan first brought Alzheimer’s into the national spotlight when he publicly announced his diagnosis as “the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life.” Now, a generation later, the nation stands at another crossroads.
By ensuring that patients can access approved treatments and diagnostic tools, policymakers—particularly President Trump and today’s Republican leaders—have an opportunity to finish the fight Reagan began. Expanding access to innovation is not just good policy—it’s good politics. It’s a win for patients, a win for caregivers, and a win for the country.
The Market Institute’s View
At The Market Institute, we believe that innovation thrives when government empowers rather than obstructs. Federal regulators should focus on keeping pace with medical progress, not slowing it down. When new innovations emerge, patients deserve the freedom to benefit from them immediately.
Alzheimer’s is a test of compassion, science, and leadership. The time to act—and to innovate—is now.
News/Resources
- Charles Sauer Discusses Alzheimer’s on the Lars Larson Show
Listen Here Market Institute President Charles Sauer joined Lars Larson on “The Lars Larson Show” to discuss why Alzheimer’s policy could become a defining issue in the upcoming election cycle — especially in key swing states. The conversation focused on new polling data, early diagnosis, access to treatment, and the […] - Republicans could sway 2026 swing voters by leading on Alzheimer’s
A new op-ed by Charles Sauer in the Washington Examiner argues that Republicans have a major political opportunity to connect with seniors, independents, and swing voters by leading on Alzheimer’s prevention, early diagnosis, and expanded access to treatment. Drawing on new polling from the Market Institute conducted by Fabrizio Ward, […] - New Poll: Voters Strongly Support Alzheimer’s Access and Early Detection
Alzheimer’s disease is becoming one of the defining health care challenges facing American families. New polling conducted by Fabrizio Ward shows overwhelming bipartisan support for improving access to early Alzheimer’s detection, diagnosis, and treatment through Medicare and private insurance coverage. The survey of voters nationwide — including key battleground states […] - Early Alzheimer’s diagnoses could prevent huge money mistakes
A new op-ed by Charles Sauer in the Washington Times argues that earlier Alzheimer’s diagnosis is not only a healthcare issue, but also a financial one for millions of American families. In the piece, Sauer explains how cognitive decline often begins affecting financial decision-making years before a formal diagnosis, leaving […] - RFK Jr.’s Call For Early Alzheimer’s Screening Could Stop A Fiscal Crisis
In a recent piece for the Daily Caller, Charles Sauer highlights a growing disconnect between medical innovation and public policy when it comes to Alzheimer’s care—and the consequences could not be more serious. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently put it plainly: “it is regulatory malpractice […] - American Healthcare Reacts to Crises, Rather Than Prevent Them
Healthcare is intensely personal, especially when devastating diagnoses arrive. Yet too often, a system weighed down by regulation and bureaucracy compounds that pain, forcing patients and families to navigate life-altering decisions without the support or flexibility they need. In a recent piece published on The Capitalist Substack, Market Institute President […] - I Detected My Alzheimer’s at 57—Early Enough to Intervene
In a powerful Wall Street Journal essay, retired internal-medicine physician Brent Beasley recounts how he discovered—almost by accident—that he had Alzheimer’s disease at age 57. His story is not just personal. It is an indictment of a U.S. health care system that waits for crisis instead of preventing it. Beasley […] - Market Institute Highlights New Alzheimer’s Policy Working Group Launch
This month, the Alzheimer’s Policy Working Group (APWG) released a new policy paper, Solving America’s Alzheimer’s Challenge, laying out a clinician-driven roadmap to improve how the U.S. diagnoses and manages Alzheimer’s disease—starting in primary care, where most patients first raise concerns. The paper reflects the real-world experience of frontline physicians […] - China has an Alzheimer’s strategy, without its own, the U.S. faces a fiscal avalanche
Alzheimer’s disease is no longer just a medical challenge. It is a looming fiscal crisis—and one the United States is dangerously unprepared to confront. In a recent column published in The Capitalist, Charles Sauer argued that policymakers urgently need to recognize Alzheimer’s as an economic ticking time bomb. Without a […] - Congress Must Address Alzheimer’s, The Crisis at Our Holiday Tables
This holiday season, more than 11 million Americans will sit at the table with a loved one living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. As Charles Sauer writes in BizPac Review, these moments are more than emotional — “they are a policy failure playing out in millions of American […] - New Research Shows Earlier Alzheimer’s Treatment Could Dramatically Improve Lives and Lower Long-Term Costs
A new analysis presented at CTAD 2025 by researchers at the USC Schaeffer Center offers one of the clearest pictures yet of how early intervention could transform the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. The findings show that anti-amyloid therapies, when started sooner, can meaningfully extend independence, reduce caregiver burden, and even […] - Trump Pollster Agrees: Waging the Fight Against Alzheimer’s is Good Politics
More than 7 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s — a number on track to double by 2050. Families across the country are already grappling with the emotional strain and the soaring financial cost of caring for loved ones. As Charles Sauer highlights in Politibrawl, this crisis is not […]