OPINION
November is Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month.
The very mention of this disease conjures up powerful emotions for most Americans.
More than 7 million are living with this affliction, meaning millions more know or have known someone suffering from this devastating illness.
For most of human history, it was a death sentence.
But unlike the generations before us, we stand at the precipice of a medical breakthrough on Alzheimer's.
With strong, conservative leadership in Washington, D.C. we can make this disease not merely treatable, but preventable.
Two therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now exist to slow Alzheimer's disease progression in early-stage patients by targeting amyloid plaque buildup – a hallmark of the disease – in the brain.
And a first-of-its-kind blood test is giving doctors a way to detect Alzheimer's sooner, opening the door to earlier diagnosis and intervention.
Scientists are also learning how lifestyle changes can help prevent this tragic disease.
The large-scale U.S. POINTER study has shown that diet, physical activity, social engagement, and cognitive exercise can dramatically improve brain health in older adults.
Between testing, FDA-approved therapies, and healthy living, we are on the verge of redefining what it means to have Alzheimer's.
This is also a generational opportunity for the Republican Party.
Today's GOP includes a growing number of young people who prioritize fitness and disease prevention through living well, as well as older voters who rely on Medicare coverage.
Addressing Alzheimer's disease head on would unify Republicans across generations and further position it as the party of "Make America Healthy Again," (MAHA).
The American public is hungry for this kind of leadership.
A recent poll by Tony Fabrizio and Bob Ward found that 92% of voters support a national strategy to defeat Alzheimer's.
Nearly 90% said they would credit President Donald Trump if he ordered Medicare to cover new detection tools and treatments.
The poll even found that Republican candidates in key congressional districts who champion this issue can turn a three-point deficit into a nineteen-point lead.
Not that this is surprising: few issues bridge party lines as much as the fight to end Alzheimer’s.
Unfortunately, public policy has yet to catch up with recent scientific breakthroughs.
Medicare's coverage restrictions, carried over from the Biden administration, have made it extremely difficult for patients to access newly approved treatments.
We can't afford to wait for the plodding bureaucracy to fix this – every day that goes by with bureaucratic red tape slowing prevention and treatment is hurting our families.
As a nation, we can make Alzheimer's preventable, but it will take a decisive commitment.
That's why I'm calling on the Trump administration to launch a national initiative aimed at unleashing solutions to Alzheimer's.
This new project would align government and private industry behind a single mission: ending the scourge of Alzheimer's disease.
This comprehensive project could have several key components.
To propel medical science forward, the administration should help to fund long-term research, accelerate regulatory pathways for breakthrough treatments, and create a next-generation of the NIH BRAIN Initiative, leveraging AI technologies toward improving brain health.
The benefits of this would reach far beyond healthcare.
Alzheimer's disease costs American families over $360 billion every year.
Taking on this bold challenge would not only help protect our aging loved ones but would also be a boon to our nation's economy.
Making Alzheimer's preventable is an ambitious goal.
But under President Trump's leadership, the GOP has shown it can unite to tackle monumental challenges.
It will require initiative and a willingness to cut through red tape, but with focus and determination, this is a goal Americans can achieve.
Aiden Buzzetti is the President of the Bull Moose Project, an organization advocating for populist conservatism in Washington, D.C.
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