Senators Introduce Bipartisan Alzheimer's Project Reauthorization Bill

By Allison Bell

News February 10, 2023 at 02:39 PM

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Sen. Susan Collins has introduced a bipartisan bill that would continue a federal effort to fight Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

Collins, a Maine Republican, has introduced S. 133, the National Alzheimer's Project Act Reauthorization Act bill together with four Republicans and four Democrats.

Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., has introduced H.R. 619, a companion bill, in the House, with one Democratic co-sponsor, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and one Republican co-sponsor, Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J.

The bills would extend the life of NAPA, the 2011 law that created the Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services, until 2035. NAPA is now set to expire in 2025.

Originally, supporters hoped the council would organize any effort that would quickly prevent or cure dementia. Some long-term care planners also hoped that the council would support or expand public or private long-term care benefits programs.

The council has called for more patient and caregiver support programs. It has occasionally touched on long-term care insurance and other forms of private-sector long-term care financing.

The bill text is short. One change it would make is to call for the Alzheimer's council to seek to reduce disparities in dementia care. Another proposed change calls for the council to include an individual with Alzheimer's disease.

The Alzheimer's Association is supporting NAPA reauthorization.

Thanks to NAPA and the national plan the Alzheimer's council has created, "Alzheimer's research funding has seen a more than seven-fold increase since the passage of NAPA in 2011," the association says in a comment about the reauthorization effort.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. (Photo: Collins)ac

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