Senior Health & Alzheimer’s Disease
Senator Markey is dedicated to ensuring that elderly Americans who wish to age at home have the opportunity to do so. To help, he created Independence at Home, a program that provides seniors the option of receiving primary care services in the comfort of their own home. Each senior has a team of health care providers that is responsible for coordinating their care, helping them avoid trips to the emergency room, avoidable hospitalizations, and fragmented or confusing treatment. The Independence at Home program began in 2012 and is now available to seniors nationwide.
Senator Markey is a leader in the fight to find a cure to Alzheimer’s disease. In the House of Representatives, Markey co-authored the National Alzheimer’s Project Act, which mandated the development of a first-ever comprehensive National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease. The plan includes the bold national goal of preventing or treating Alzheimer’s disease by 2025 and represents an historic commitment by the federal government to tackling the disease. Markey also introduced the bipartisan Spending Reductions Through Innovations in Therapies (SPRINT) Act, which would spur innovation in research and drug development for high-cost, chronic health conditions such as Alzheimer’s, as well as the Health Outcomes, Planning and Education (H.O.P.E.) Act to encourage early Alzheimer’s diagnoses and connect caregivers to information and resources. Markey also introduced the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act, which would require the National Institutes of Health to create a strategic plan to expedite therapeutic outcomes for those with or at risk of Alzheimer’s disease and coordinate Alzheimer’s research within federal agencies. In 1999 in the House of Representatives, Markey founded the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s and currently serves as co-Chair in the Senate.
- Stabenow, Collins, Markey, Capito Applaud Announcement that Medicare Will Implement HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act, Pay for New Care Plans to Provide Support to Families of Alzheimer’s patients Posted on 11/03/16
- Senators Question Aetna's Billion-Dollar Break-up Fee and Decision to Leave ACA Exchanges After DOJ Challenges Merger with Humana Posted on 09/08/16
- Medicare Continues to Save Millions Because of Senator Markey’s Independence at Home Program Posted on 08/09/16
- Senators Applaud Medicare Proposal to Implement HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act Posted on 07/14/16
- Senators Announce Inclusion of Bipartisan HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act in Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill Posted on 06/07/16
- Senate Passes Markey, Ayotte Resolution Declaring September Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month Posted on 04/25/16
- Markey Applauds Historic New Surgeon General Report on Substance Abuse Posted on 10/05/15