[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2884. Ms. COLLINS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by her to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2025 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the end of subtitle E of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 750. REVIEW ON USE OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES FOR THE 
                   PREVENTION, TREATMENT, OR MITIGATION OF 
                   SYMPTOMS RELATED TO MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT 
                   OR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.

       (a) Findings; Sense of Congress.--
       (1) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (A) There are multiple treatments for Alzheimer's disease 
     that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and are 
     shown to reduce the rate of disease progression and to slow 
     cognitive and functional decline.
       (B) Alzheimer's disease is a progressive disease affecting 
     almost 7,000,000 people in the United States, and approved 
     treatment options for such disease are most effective when 
     administered early in the disease course.
       (C) Following traditional approval by the Food and Drug 
     Administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 
     announced broader coverage of monoclonal antibodies directed 
     against amyloid for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs has also established a 
     criteria for use of such treatments.
       (D) The TRICARE program has a role in facilitating timely 
     and equitable beneficiary access to novel therapeutics, 
     including monoclonal antibodies approved by the Food and Drug 
     Administration for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
       (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     Congress encourages continued collaboration between the 
     Department of Defense, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
     Services, and other Federal agencies to reduce coverage gaps 
     and ensure that all people in the United States, including 
     members of the Armed Forces and their dependents, with 
     Alzheimer's disease and related dementias have access to 
     effective treatments.
       (b) Review and Report.--Not later than 30 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
     shall review the policy manual for the TRICARE program 
     relating to the exclusion of the use of monoclonal antibodies 
     for the prevention, treatment, or mitigation of symptoms 
     related to mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease, 
     and submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 
     and the House of Representatives a report that--
       (1) outlines the review process of the Department of 
     Defense for including or excluding the use of monoclonal 
     antibodies;
       (2) assesses whether the policy of the Department aligns 
     with current science;
       (3) indicates whether the Secretary has or is currently 
     restricting access by beneficiaries under the TRICARE program 
     to therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease that 
     are approved by the Food and Drug Administration; and
       (4) indicates whether there are any disparities in 
     treatment for Alzheimer's disease under the TRICARE program 
     in different care delivery settings.
       (c) TRICARE Program Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``TRICARE program'' has the meaning given that term in 
     section 1072 of title 10, United States Code.
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