Charles Sauer has been making the case in two recent op-eds that Washington's own policies are standing between Alzheimer's patients and the care they need — and that fixing them is both a human and economic imperative. Read his pieces in RealClearHealth and Blaze Media.

From RealClearHealth:

"We are in a new era of Alzheimer's care where diagnosis does not have to be followed by a steep decline. Today, new tests can detect markers associated with Alzheimer's through a simple blood draw. Once armed with a diagnosis, patients can take action to meaningfully slow progression of the disease."

"The question is no longer whether patients want to know if they have Alzheimer's. The technology is here and they are ready to use it. The human and economic upside to acting early is clear. It's Washington that needs to catch up."

From Blaze Media:

"After the Food and Drug Administration approved a new generation of Alzheimer's therapies, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services took the unprecedented step of limiting Medicare coverage unless patients participated in government-approved studies and met additional requirements. That created a second layer of red tape after the FDA had already deemed the therapies safe and effective."

"If policymakers want fewer insurance denials, they should stop creating incentives for them. The FDA is charged with determining whether a therapy is safe and effective. Once it does, CMS should not erect a second regulatory barrier that encourages insurers to do the same."

Taken together, Sauer's pieces in RealClearHealth and Blaze Media paint a clear picture: the tools to fight Alzheimer's exist, patients want them, and government red tape is the thing standing in the way.

‍

Charles Sauer is president of the Market Institute.

‍

‍