Alzheimer's Disease, The Neglected Chronic Condition
As an insurance agent in the Medicare field, it is my responsibility to stay abreast of new plans for Medicare recipients with "chronic conditions." In short, these plans provide special benefits for people with heart disease, end stage renal disease, diabetes and a few others. The idea of designing plans around a member's specific health issues, especially when these are severe, is a good one, and is necessary. Of course, we all want our unhealthy family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to have as much help as they can get so that they don't have to worry about major financial challenges on top of the effects of their illness.
But I notice there is a rather large gap when it comes to how Medicare identifies what constitutes "chronic conditions." Before being an insurance agent, I am also the daughter of two parents with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Being a caregiver to someone with this particular disease is difficult in many ways. I am certain anyone reading this knows or has known someone with Alzheimer's. The decline is both heart-breaking and difficult to understand. No one wants to sit back helplessly and watch someone they care about become non-verbal, incapable of self-care, and as I have seen, no longer aware of who I am when I walk into a room.
On top of the obvious grief and sadness this illness causes, there is also a major problem with the way families and caregivers are expected to pay for the effected person to get the help they need. Medicare does provide benefits for long-term care, but only for a certain number of years. Furthermore, home health aids and hospice are covered, but in many cases, not for the length of time the ill person lives. My father has been living with Alzheimer's for 12 years. His care has not been covered for the past 5 of those years. To keep him in a locked facility where he is safe, per month, is over 5 times the amount of my monthly incoming. When the money runs out, we cannot bring him back home to care for him ourselves, as we are working during the day and have no Medical training.
Many families turn to Medicaid or other state assitance to help with expenses, but it is not a guarantee to be accepted. It can feel like the powers that be in the Government get to decide how much care a person should need and for how long. So what can we do? Millions of families are suffering silently from the emotional and financial affects of Alzheimer's disease, and there are simply not the resources available to help those who bare the burden of these costs. Private organizations, while valuable, do not compare to those who help with, for example, cancer.
I challenge Medicare to create Chronic Special Needs plans for members suffering from Alzheimer's or severe dementia. Studies should be conducted to see what forms of therapy and medical care these individuals need, and work toward mitigating the financial burden on those who care for them. Furthermore, these plans should include new medications on their formularies so that they can be used over time if they show promise. Of course, I fully support that Medicare has tailored plans for other life-threatening illnesses, but Alzheimer's disease seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle, despite how common it is. For a disease with such emotionally costly effects, let us help caregivers afford the financial impact, so that we can concentrate on spending the valuable time we have on what is most important. We cannot always help these members recover their memory, but let us in the insurance industry show that they are not forgotten.