In bipartisan letter, Senator underscores how care planning lowers health care costs for Arizonans and improves patients’ quality of life
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema joined a bipartisan group of Senators in asking the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to promote its care planning benefit that helps improve the quality of life for Alzheimer’s patients.
The care planning benefit reimburses health care providers for time spent creating disease management plans with patients and their caregivers. However, in 2017 less than one percent of seniors living with Alzheimer’s utilized the care planning benefit.
“Arizonans living with Alzheimer’s and their families should be fully aware of every benefit available to assist with their plan of care,” said Sinema.
Care planning can significantly improve a patient’s quality of life and save the Medicare system and Arizona families from high medical costs in the long run. It is estimated that Arizonans caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s provide nearly $4 billion in unpaid care annually, often at a great personal cost.
In July, Sinema championed the bipartisan Improving HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act, which encourages the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services develop outreach programs for care providers to spread awareness for a new Medicare care planning benefit for patients with Alzheimer’s.
The full text of the letter can be found HERE.
Click HERE for Spanish version of release.