Rep. Jessica Benham: Federal agency could help Alzheimer’s patients

Last summer, my grandmother passed away after years of living with Alzheimer’s disease. If you’ve lost a loved one to this disease or know someone who has, then you’re familiar with the long and cruel journey both the patient and their families have walked. I want to say thank you to the health care workers who were there by her side always, and especially when we couldn’t be.

Watching someone as strong, smart and dignified as my grandma gradually begin to lose her sense of self was almost surreal. As her condition worsened, I could see how frustrated she grew with her own mind. I grieved for her the first time when she no longer remembered who I was, and I’m still grieving her now.

As modern medicine has evolved to encompass preventative treatments for this disease, a new sense of hope has swept across the country for those who are still fighting Alzheimer’s, but access to this modern innovation has been limited in a way that leaves behind thousands of American families.

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new class of disease-modifying therapies for those who are battling Alzheimer’s disease. These medications would serve as a barrier between mild and severe cases of Alzheimer’s, treating the source of disease progression rather than its symptoms. While this development was too late for my grandma, other families felt a sense of relief. But for many, this feeling was only temporary, as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ruled that the treatment was unqualified for general use and coverage.

At a time when thousands of Alzheimer’s patients should have full access to the preventative benefits of modern advances, only those who have the funds for treatment and proximity to clinical testing sites are able to reap the joy that modern medicine brings. My grandma was a nurse, and she dedicated her life to making sure people in need were treated with the dignity and care they deserve. Her life’s work inspires in me a sense of urgency in ensuring that all have access to this new FDA-approved treatment.

The CMS must review its decision to deny coverage for disease-modifying therapies for those battling Alzheimer’s disease. With the Department of Veterans Affairs providing coverage for this treatment for our military members, and attorneys general across the United States highlighting the illegality of the current requirements, there is no other option but for CMS to overturn its decision before it is too late for thousands of Americans.

If we are to truly serve as a leader in modern advances, we must ensure access to life-enhancing medications for those who are most vulnerable. What would it have meant for Grandma Conrad and my entire family if the progression of Alzheimer’s could have been slowed? Other families, patients and caregivers are depending on us.

State Rep. Jessica Benham represents the 36th District, which includes parts of Pittsburgh, Brentwood and Mount Oliver in Allegheny County.