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New Alzheimer's drug could be 'devastating' for Medicare

By Politico  
   June 15, 2021

The controversial approval of the first drug to target Alzheimer’s disease in nearly 20 years has opened the door for patient advocacy groups to pressure Medicare and private insurers to cover expensive tests needed to concretely diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. Advocates hope that the new therapy will be the first to slow the disease afflicting over 6 million older adults. But patients will likely have to jump through hoops, or pay exorbitant prices, because the tests needed to diagnose Alzheimer’s and monitor the drug’s safety aren’t generally covered by Medicare, potentially putting patients on the hook for out-of-pocket costs.

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