Susan Collins
Medicare will begin covering individual care plans for newly diagnosed Alzheimer’s patients and family caregivers in January, an action applauded by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
Under plans finalized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the individual care plans will encourage doctors to clearly diagnose Alzheimer’s and to provide information about treatment options and services to newly diagnosed patients.
The plan effectively implements bipartisan legislation, the Health Outcomes, Planning and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer’s Act, which was introduced by Collins.
“Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that takes a tremendous personal and economic toll on millions of individuals as well as their family caregivers,” Collins said. “As the co-chair of the Senate Alzheimer’s Task Force, I know the importance of ensuring that newly diagnosed individuals and their families obtain essential support through care planning, which was one of the provisions of our HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act.”
U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Edward Markey (D-MA) joined Capito and Collins in announcing Medicare coverage of individual care plans. The new coverage will begin in January 2017.