Bill > S709

This bill, titled the Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education for Alzheimer's Act, aims to improve the diagnosis and care for Americans with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias by amending Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, which governs Medicare. It recognizes that many individuals with Alzheimer's are undiagnosed, and that early diagnosis and care planning lead to better outcomes for both patients and their caregivers. The bill proposes to create a new Medicare benefit for "comprehensive Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and services." This package would include a diagnostic evaluation, and if Alzheimer's is diagnosed, it would cover care planning services to help individuals and their families understand the diagnosis, available treatments, and support services, while also considering other chronic conditions. The bill also mandates the documentation of these evaluations and diagnoses in medical records. The term "Alzheimer's disease" in this context is defined to include related dementias, and a "personal representative" is defined as someone legally authorized to make healthcare decisions for an individual. This new benefit would be covered by Medicare at 80 percent of the fee schedule amount determined by the Secretary, and would take effect on January 1st of the year following the bill's enactment.