Poll: Voters Back Candidates Who Take on Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is not just a health issue. It is a national crisis. More than 7 million Americans are living with the disease today and one in three older adults dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.

The cost to families is immeasurable, and the financial toll on our country is astonishing, with dementia-related expenses projected to reach $781 billion in 2025.

Despite its prevalence, Alzheimer’s is still too often overlooked in Washington. For decades, it has been treated as an inevitable consequence of aging rather than a treatable and potentially preventable disease. The result is a disease that continues to steal the ability to remember, to live independently, or to function without significant assistance. But voters are sending a very different message.

 A new survey from Plymouth Union Public Research, conducted in the nation’s 28 most competitive House districts, shows that voters overwhelmingly support candidates who make Alzheimer’s care a priority.

• 80% of voters say prevention and early detection can save taxpayers and Medicare billions.

• 92% of voters want Medicare rules updated so doctors can prescribe FDA-approved treatments to slow the disease.

• 87% of voters would view it as a major presidential achievement if Medicare expanded coverage to include Alzheimer’s detection tests.

The takeaway is undeniable: voters don’t just want Alzheimer’s solutions to be a priority for our policymakers. They are demanding it. In fact, voters have been supportive of removing Alzheimer’s access barriers for some time.

Right now, Medicare’s restrictive “Coverage with Evidence Development” (CED) policy, for example, is keeping families from accessing FDA-approved treatments. By tying coverage to unnecessary and burdensome registries, the system creates delays that patients and caregivers cannot afford. For those living with Alzheimer’s, time lost is progress lost. And for the estimated 3,000 patients each day whose disease progresses beyond the treatment window, that time is invaluable.

Leaders in Washington must ensure coverage and reimbursement policies keep pace with innovation – and find ways to better support physicians to help with detection in primary care (for example, better incentivize time spent on cognitive assessments). If our policies don’t keep pace, we may lose the opportunity to find the disease at earlier – more actionable – stages.

These barriers fall hardest on communities that already struggle with access, including rural Americans,  who face long travel times, fewer providers, and limited resources. Adding extra hurdles only makes the situation worse.

Voters are sending a strong signal: they want leaders who are part of the battle against Alzheimer’s. Lawmakers and CMS have the opportunity and responsibility to act. That means removing outdated restrictions, making treatments accessible, and ensuring early detection tools are available to every family, no matter their ZIP code.