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Medicare to allow scans to diagnose Alzheimer's

WASHINGTON - The government plans to pay for costly brain scans for some Medicare patients with a diagnosis of dementia to determine if they have Alzheimer's disease, offering the hope of early diagnosis and perhaps better treatment.

Medicare's decision to offer limited coverage, which will not take effect for at least three months, could lead private insurers to begin covering specialized PET scans for Alzheimer's, which can cost $1,500.

At first, the government intends to cover "patients with progressive symptoms of dementia, but for whom a diagnosis remains unclear despite a thorough standard medical evaluation," said Sean Tunis, the chief medical officer for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In addition, some Medicare patients in clinical trials for people with unexpected memory loss or early dementia would have PET scans paid for as a way to explore how widely the scans could be used.

Researchers and doctors believe early detection of Alzheimer's, leading to early treatment with medicines, can help slow its progression.

In Washington on Wednesday, identical bills introduced in the House and Senate would increase the amount of federal money allocated to the National Institutes of Health for Alzheimer's research from $680-million to $1.4-billion in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

INDIANAPOLIS - The Southern Baptist Convention rejected a proposal Wednesday that would have urged parents to pull their children out of public schools, while approving a call for a federal amendment to ban gay marriage.

The amendment proposed at the group's annual meeting to encourage parents to provide "a thoroughly Christian education" through private schools or home schooling was defeated by show of hands. The gay marriage resolution passed without debate.

ENERGY: The House voted 239-192 in favor of legislation Wednesday that supporters said would speed construction of new refineries to ease tight gasoline supplies. Opponents said the bill would reduce environmental protection and do little to stem high fuel costs. The bill has little chance of success in the Senate.

DETAINEE TORTURE: By a voice vote, the Senate approved a measure that says the United States "shall not engage in torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment . . . a standard that is embodied in the U.S. Constitution and in numerous international agreements which the United States has ratified." The House has no similar legislation pending.

JACKSON SETTLEMENT: Michael Jackson agreed to pay $15.3-million to the child he was accused of molesting in 1993, according to a confidential settlement of a lawsuit, reported by Court TV. The 1994 settlement, in which Jackson did not admit misconduct, has been widely reported but this was the first time documents were available showing the specific figure.

SHOPPING MALL SUSPECT: A federal magistrate on Tuesday ordered tests to determine whether Nuradin Abdi, 32, accused of plotting to blow up a Columbus, Ohio, shopping mall, is competent to stand trial. Abdi also was ordered transferred to a federal psychiatric facility.