Americans Willing To Pay More for Medicare To Expand Access [Video]

A majority of Americans would support paying higher premiums for Medicare if necessary to cover Alzheimer’s treatments, according to a new survey commissioned by the Alliance for Aging Research.

The poll, which was conducted by Lake Research Partners and Public Opinion Strategies, discovered 82 percent of Americans support requiring Medicare and insurance companies to cover the Alzheimer’s treatments. That includes 65 percent who favored that policy even if it increased health insurance premiums.

If it caused premiums to rise by $5 each month, 73 percent would still support Medicare expanding its coverage to these types of drugs.

“Voters agree that Medicare beneficiaries should have access to these medicines,” Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, said in a statement. “At their core, Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike believe that people with Alzheimer’s shouldn’t be treated any differently from those with other diseases. Few other issues show these levels of consensus and urgency amongst voters.”