BOLD Reauthorization Act 2024-to support those with Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in America. Medicare and Medicaid pay for two-thirds of all dementia care costs, many of which come from preventable hospitalizations. It’s time we treat this disease not only as an aging issue, but also as a public health issue.
My name is Simrat Walia and I am a volunteer advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association. I have heard stories of how my grandparents had cared for my great grandmother who had Alzheimer’s disease. Although I never personally met her, my grandparent’s experience caring for her closely resonates with the stories many caregivers share across America.
Since its passage in 2018, the original BOLD (Building Our Largest Dementia) Infrastructure Act has been creating and growing a public health infrastructure for dementia in communities throughout the nation. Because of the BOLD Infrastructure Act, the state, local, and tribal public health departments utilize federal funding to implement effective dementia interventions such as reducing risk, increasing early detection and diagnosis, supporting the needs of caregivers, and advancing health equity.
But more work needs to be done.
Congressman Ro Khanna has a chance to reduce preventable hospitalizations and save Medicare and Medicaid for future generations! The BOLD Reauthorization Act (HR 7218) would address Alzheimer’s as a public health crisis. I thank Congressman Ro Khanna for his steadfast commitment to his constituents who are living with Alzheimer’s and urge him to build on the progress by reauthorizing this critical legislation.
I hope that readers will join me in thanking Ro Khanna for supporting the cause and ask that he sign the BOLD Reauthorization Act of 2024.
Sincerely,
Simrat Walia
(High School Student)
Milpitas