{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fulcher.house.gov/2023/06/21/id-c0d228b4-8bdc-4733-b97e-4e6ea96269f8/", "Alzheimer\u2019s And Brain Awareness Month", "2023-06-21", "2023", "2023-06", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Russ Fulcher", "F000469", "fulcher.house.gov", "fulcher", "https://fulcher.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Guest column submitted by the Idaho Congressional Delegation: Senator Mike Crapo, Senator Jim Risch, Representative Mike Simpson and Representative Russ Fulcher\n\nIn recognition of June as Alzheimer\u2019s and Brain Awareness Month, we had the opportunity through a Congressional Record Statement to honor Idahoans and their families fighting this dreaded disease. We pay tribute to all those affected by Alzheimer\u2019s as we also express gratitude to the advocates in our communities working hard to advance Alzheimer\u2019s research and other important efforts that are making progress in fighting this disease and supporting families dealing with Alzheimer\u2019s. We continue to work to ensure federal policies enable, not discourage, innovators to quickly bring their life-saving discoveries to market in the fight against Alzheimer\u2019s.\n\nThe following is our Congressional Record Statement:\n\nWe recognize June as Alzheimer\u2019s and Brain Awareness Month. According to the Alzheimer\u2019s Association, 27,000 people aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer\u2019s in Idaho, while 65,000 family caregivers bear the burden of the disease. In honor of these Idaho families and the millions of other Americans and their loved ones impacted by Alzheimer\u2019s, we continue the fight to stop harmful policies delaying access to treatment for Alzheimer\u2019s patients.\n\nThe Food and Drug Administration\u2019s, FDA, accelerated approval pathway has provided a lifeline for countless Americans suffering from Alzheimer\u2019s disease by advancing access to safe and effective medicines years before these treatments could otherwise come to market. Numerous studies show that drugs that have gone through the accelerated approval pathway reach patients an average of more than three years before they would otherwise.\n\nUnfortunately, the current Administration has taken unprecedented steps to erode this pathway, deterring life-saving innovation and delaying access to care by restricting Medicare coverage for an entire class of potential Alzheimer\u2019s therapies. This harmful coverage decision carries grave implications for Alzheimer\u2019s patients. Every day without access to FDA-approved drugs, more than 2,000 people transition to a more advanced stage of Alzheimer\u2019s where they are no longer eligible for treatment, reports the Alzheimer\u2019s Association. The Administration must reverse course and provide access to these life-saving pathways as quickly as possible.\n\nWe are grateful to leaders from communities across Idaho and our country who are pivotal in advancing Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia research and other important efforts that are making progress in fighting this disease and supporting families dealing with this dreaded disease. The advocates\u2019 personal experiences with the disease\u2019s effects in their own families often fuel and inform their engagement. Their perspectives are deeply valuable as we continue to work to improve drug access and affordability. This includes working to ensure federal policies enable, not discourage, innovators to quickly bring their life-saving discoveries to market.\n\nTime and again, American ingenuity has proven it can meet the challenges we face, if the federal government gets out of the way. This Alzheimer\u2019s and Brain Awareness Month is a reminder of the pressing need to better empower patients and doctors to decide the treatments right for them. Throughout this month, as Americans wear purple and participate in other awareness and educational activities and in the years ahead, let\u2019s do all we can to alleviate the burden on families across our country by easing access to innovative treatment for Alzheimer\u2019s.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:15:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fulcher.house.gov/2023/06/21/id-c0d228b4-8bdc-4733-b97e-4e6ea96269f8/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8931010961532593, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}