Fishers reader calls on Sen. Young to support ASAP Act

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Dear Editor:

When my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at 86 years old, it had been a long road to the diagnosis.

He was high-functioning and, like most people with the disease, there were good and bad days. Sometimes we thought he might actually be getting better. Eighteen long months after my dad’s first visit to a neurologist, we had the diagnosis only made possible through a painful lumbar puncture. Had we known earlier, we could have sped up treatment and saved him the pain of the lumbar puncture. A simple blood test would have made such a difference!

The bipartisan Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act creates a pathway for Medicare coverage of FDA-approved dementia blood biomarker screening tests, and Senator Todd Young can accelerate the creation of this pathway by cosponsoring this important bill. Please join me and the Alzheimer’s Association in encouraging Senator Young to support the ASAP Act.

This Act would allow coverage for future test methods approved and cleared by the FDA, helping to ensure beneficiaries do not face unnecessary delays or barriers to detection and treatment. An earlier and accurate diagnosis can improve quality of life and reduce the financial impact of this devastating disease.

Jennifer Mahoney
Fishers