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 only a matter of public health. It is a defining test of our national priorities.
“For Republicans seeking to lead with principled, compassionate, and fiscally responsible health policy, this crisis presents a clear opportunity: be the party that takes seniors’ concerns seriously.”
According to new polling cited in the article, Alzheimer’s is also a rare political opportunity. If Republicans champion meaningful reforms, they could shift from trailing Democrats by three points in a generic congressional race to leading by 19 points. And 87% of voters say they would view action on Alzheimer’s as “a major achievement” for President Trump.
In short: good policy is good politics.
1. Remove Medicare’s Barriers to New Alzheimer’s Treatments
Two FDA-approved treatments now exist that remove toxic proteins from the brain and slow cognitive decline, giving patients more time to live independently. Yet Medicare has erected unprecedented obstacles to access.
Sauer writes:
“Under Biden… Medicare took an unprecedented step to tie these treatments up in a program that serves no purpose except to increase the administrative burden for doctors.”
To prescribe these therapies, physicians must enter patient data into a national registry — a bureaucratic hoop rarely seen outside socialized medicine. Smaller and rural clinics lack the staff to comply, leaving many patients without access to FDA-approved options. Even worse, private insurers are now citing Medicare’s restrictive designation to deny coverage altogether, including for younger patients in their 40s and 50s.
As Sauer explains:
“Medicare’s duplicative oversight doesn’t protect patients – it punishes them.”
Voters agree. 92% support changing Medicare rules to allow easier access to FDA-approved Alzheimer’s treatments. This is not a controversial reform — it is a commonsense one.
2. Incentivize Early Detection and Prevention
America also lags behind in identifying Alzheimer’s early, despite overwhelming evidence that early detection is the most cost-effective, life-preserving approach.
“With chronic issues like dementia, early detection and prevention is always better — and more cost effective — than treatment.”
Today, Medicare typically refuses to cover screening tests for Alzheimer’s because they are not classified as “reasonable and necessary.” But delaying diagnosis drives up long-term care costs and robs families of precious time.
Breakthroughs in blood-based biomarker tests — FDA-approved and up to 90% accurate — mean Alzheimer’s can be detected before symptoms appear. Reclassifying these tests as diagnostic would open access to 70 million Medicare beneficiaries.
Voters overwhelmingly support this shift:
• 80% believe early detection would save taxpayers billions
• 90% support requiring Medicare to cover diagnostic blood tests
Republicans have an opportunity to lead on a reform that is both popular and fiscally responsible.
A Moment for Leadership
Nearly 40% of voters in battleground districts personally know someone affected by Alzheimer’s. They are watching for the party willing to confront a crisis that is rapidly growing and deeply personal.
“Republicans can — and should — be that party. By focusing on prevention, early diagnosis, and CMS reform, they can offer a message of common sense and compassion.”
At the Market Institute, we agree: Alzheimer’s policy reform isn’t just morally urgent — it’s economically essential. The question, as Charles concludes, is not whether we can afford to act on Alzheimer’s.
“The question isn’t whether we can afford to act on Alzheimer’s. It’s whether we can afford not to.”
Read the full article at Politibrawl Substack here.
