[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 70 (Thursday, April 28, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H4577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN SUPPORT OF THE ALZHEIMER'S COMMUNITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Barragan) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BARRAGAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the 
millions of Americans living with Alzheimer's disease, and their family 
members and caregivers.
  I am speaking up because the Center for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services, CMS, made a decision that will severely limit access to the 
only drug shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's. I think their 
decision is a mistake.
  Alzheimer's is a heartbreaking disease. It has no cure. These are the 
faces of Alzheimer's. They are our sisters, our brothers, our mothers, 
our fathers, our neighbors, our grandparents, our fellow Americans, who 
are living with this dreadful disease. As time passes, they are 
slipping away from their loved ones a little bit at a time. They have 
asked and hoped for something to help them. Anything. Anything that 
could give them more time with their families.
  For the past 20 years, there has been little progress on new 
Alzheimer's drugs. Like too many other Americans, I have had the 
heartbreaking experience of watching my mother struggle with 
Alzheimer's, and still have the challenge of finding sufficient 
caregivers to help care for her and those who speak Spanish. My 
mother's story is not unique. Nearly 6 million people in the United 
States are suffering from Alzheimer's, and this number is growing every 
single day.
  Last summer, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first new 
Alzheimer's drug, providing hope for families. But CMS will not cover 
it. They finalized a coverage policy that will tightly restrict access 
to the entire and only known class of drug that has shown promise to 
slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
  Is that the way we should respond to this crisis?
  This is an access issue. People who have money and can pay for it 
will get the drug. People who are under a CMS program will not.
  Every day, Americans living with Alzheimer's are burdened with the 
expense of caregivers, doctors' visits, and seeing their family members 
decline. This is why my colleagues and I wrote a letter urging CMS not 
to limit access to breakthrough therapies for Alzheimer's patients. And 
as a representative of over 150,000 Angelenos who are living with 
Alzheimer's disease, I am deeply disappointed with CMS's decision. 
These are my constituents and members of my community, as well as 
yours. Time is not on our side in this fight.
  To all the patients, families, and caregivers out there who are 
struggling with Alzheimer's, I am not done. I stand with you and I will 
continue to fight for you.

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