A Democratic bill with 2 Republican cosponsors · See all 3 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Alzheimer's Early Detection Act of 2026 aims to amend existing healthcare laws to require coverage for Alzheimer's biomarker testing. This coverage would apply to group health plans, individual health insurance, and the Medicaid program. The bill defines specific requirements for how insurance companies must handle these requests, including limits on financial and treatment restrictions. It also establishes specific timeframes for prior authorization decisions. Additionally, the Act mandates a study by the National Institutes of Health to report on the value of this testing.
Yes· 3 of 8
- Scored +8
Would people over 65 be better off under this?
The bill facilitates early detection and treatment management for Alzheimer's disease, which primarily affects older populations.
- Scored +7
Does this make health care easier to get in general?
The bill ensures easier access to Alzheimer's testing by restricting financial and treatment barriers and mandating fast prior authorization timelines.
- Scored +6
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The bill mandates coverage of diagnostic testing under Medicaid, which supports low-income individuals.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Mandatory Insurance Coverage: Group health plans, individual health insurance, and Medicaid must provide benefits for Alzheimer's biomarker testing, which includes the analysis of tissue, blood, or other biospecimens for the purpose of early detection, diagnosis, or treatment management (Section 2, subsection a and b).
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Protection Against High Costs: Insurance coverage must ensure that financial requirements are no more restrictive than the predominant financial requirements for other medical and surgical benefits, and there can be no separate cost-sharing requirements applied only to this testing (Section 2, subsection a, paragraph b, 1).
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Faster Access to Care: For insurance plans that use prior authorization, a determination must be made within 72 hours, or within 24 hours if a provider states that a delay would place an individual's life or health at serious risk (Section 2, subsection a, paragraph b, 3).
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Streamlined Approval Processes: If an insurance plan fails to make a determination on a prior authorization request within the required timeframe, the request is automatically treated as approved (Section 2, subsection a, paragraph b, 4).
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Removal of Barriers: The bill prohibits the use of step therapy requirements for this testing and requires that benefits be provided in a way that promotes equitable access, specifically including rural and underserved populations (Section 2, subsection a, paragraph b, 5 and 6).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts are explicitly stated in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would people over 65 be better off under this? — The bill facilitates early detection and treatment management for Alzheimer's disease, which primarily affects older populations. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill mandates coverage of diagnostic testing under Medicaid, which supports low-income individuals. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — The bill explicitly requires that biomarker testing benefits be provided in a manner that promotes access for rural populations.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — The bill ensures easier access to Alzheimer's testing by restricting financial and treatment barriers and mandating fast prior authorization timelines. Does this put more money into Medicaid, the health coverage for people on low incomes? — The bill mandates that the Medicaid program cover Alzheimer's biomarker testing. Does this strengthen the Affordable Care Act? — The bill requires group and individual health insurance plans to cover specific biomarker testing.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into scientific research? — The bill directs the NIH to fund a study on the value of biomarker testing for Alzheimer's disease.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — The bill reduces potential out-of-pocket costs for essential diagnostic testing through Medicaid and insurance mandates.
- 11/9/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 8/17/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/22/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
Juan CiscomaniRepublican · Arizona
Valerie FousheeDemocrat · North Carolina
Jennifer KiggansRepublican · Virginia