There has never been a more promising moment in Alzheimer’s and dementia research. Scientists have developed blood tests capable of detecting Alzheimer’s biomarkers earlier and more accurately than ever before, and FDA-approved treatments are available today that can slow the disease’s progression — but only when started early enough. For the first time, the tools to make a meaningful difference in the fight against Alzheimer’s exist.

That makes the findings of the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2026 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report — released today — all the more urgent. An estimated 7.4 million Americans are living with clinical Alzheimer’s dementia, and deaths from Alzheimer’s more than doubled between 2000 and 2024 — a 134% increase. Without advancement of new treatments and adoption of risk reduction strategies, the total cost of caring for people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia is projected to reach nearly $1 trillion by 2050. The need to translate scientific progress into real-world impact has never been greater.

Yet a critical gap stands in the way. Fewer than 10% of people living with mild cognitive impairment ever receive a diagnosis — meaning most are never identified early enough to benefit from the treatments now available. People see the greatest benefit from today’s Alzheimer’s treatments when they begin them at the initial onset of mild cognitive impairment, making timely diagnosis essential.

Early detection also gives individuals and families more time to understand a diagnosis, plan ahead and seek support when it matters most. Under current law, however, Medicare cannot cover any screening test for diseases that cause dementia — a legal barrier that only Congress can fix, and one that grows more harmful with every year it goes unaddressed.

The bipartisan Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act would clear that roadblock. The bill gives Medicare the authority to cover blood-based Alzheimer’s screening tests through its existing evidence-based process, without mandating coverage. It follows the same model Congress recently applied to cancer through the MCED Act, which created a pathway for Medicare to cover blood-based cancer screening tests. 

More than 9 in 10 Americans say they would want a simple test for Alzheimer’s. The science is there. The policy pathway is within reach. What’s needed now is the will to act.

Congress can make sure today’s medical advances reach the people who need them most. Urge your members of Congress to advance the ASAP Act without delay and ensure that the progress made in the laboratory translates into earlier answers, better care and more time for the millions of Americans who need it.