Committee hears plea to cover new Alzheimer’s treatments for state employees; EBD warns of clinical risk and multi‑million dollar cost

Representative Julie Mayberry brought House Bill 1055 to the Senate Insurance & Commerce Committee seeking to require state employee health plans to cover FDA‑approved disease‑modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.

Mayberry said the newest Alzheimer’s treatments are “not treating symptoms, it’s actually treating Alzheimer’s,” and she urged committee members to provide state and school employees the same access that Medicaid, Medicare and veterans’ plans already offer.

A retired teacher, Steve Daniels, described his personal experience with an infusion‑based therapy. Daniels told the committee he receives the infusion monthly at a hospital infusion clinic, that Medicare covers roughly 80 percent of his treatment cost, and that the therapy has preserved his ability to recognize and interact with family. “This is not a cure… but this drug and this therapy… will extend my life dramatically for years, where I’ll still know their names…