September 15, 2026
The Honorable Morgan Griffith
Chairman
Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Diana DeGette
Ranking Member
Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Griffith, Ranking Member DeGette, and Members of the Subcommittee,
On behalf of National Taxpayers Union, the nation’s oldest taxpayer advocacy organization, we commend you for examining some of the challenges facing Medicare physician payments as well as policies that can bolster cybersecurity throughout the American health care system. While NTU recognizes that the Subcommittee is considering a broader package of legislative proposals, we would like to highlight one bill in particular that warrants special attention: H.R. 6130, the Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act.
Introduced by Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Paul Tonko (D-NY), this bipartisan legislation allows Medicare to cover FDA-approved blood tests for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. As NTU has previously noted in comments1 submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services, Alzheimer’s already imposes a profound burden on federal health care programs. As the American population continues to age, the fiscal strain associated with caring for patients with the disease will only grow.
Medicare’s coverage policies should encourage access to medical innovations that can help bend the long-term cost curve of Alzheimer’s care. Blood-based biomarker tests can facilitate early detection. As such, this could represent a cost-effective intervention that gives patients and providers more time to consider different treatment options while also potentially reducing downstream health care utilization. This benefits taxpayers over the long-term.
Nevertheless, lawmakers should ensure that any expansion of Medicare coverage is accompanied by statutory guardrails to avoid unnecessary utilization. There are too many examples across the American health care system of perverse incentives that lead providers to administer billable services with limited benefit for patients. This problem remains especially salient in Medicare’s fee-for-service model, which generally reimburses providers based on the volume of services rather than the value of care delivered to patients. For taxpayers to benefit from Medicare’s expanded coverage, these blood tests should be carefully administered to high-risk patients when there is a clear clinical need.
We appreciate the Subcommittee’s leadership on this issue and stand ready to assist in developing solutions that prioritize the interests of patients and taxpayers.
Sincerely,
Alexander Ciccone
Policy and Government Affairs Manager
National Taxpayers Union
1 https://www.ntu.org/publications/detail/regulatory-reforms-for-alzheimers-treatment-could-boost-well-being-for-patients-reduce-costs-for-taxpayers