WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) co-sponsored the Huntington’s Disease Disability Insurance Access Act, a bipartisan bill ensuring Medicare is made available to individuals with Huntington’s Disease, a devastating, degenerative, and hereditary brain disorder causing total physical and mental deterioration.

“Tens of thousands of Americans are currently battling Huntington’s Disease, a devastating and crippling diagnosis,” said Rep. Owens. “It is up to us to ensure every patient receives the best possible care, and we can start by fixing an outdated system. I am proud to support the Huntington’s Disease Disability Insurance Act to waive the five-month waiting period for social security benefits, eliminate the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage, and remove barriers to improve patient care.”

Huntington’s Disease affects tens of thousands of people across the United States, with more than 200,000 Americans at risk today. Today, 41,000 Americans are known to have HD, and an additional 200-250,000 children of a parent with Huntington’s Disease have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the deadly gene from an affected parent.

The full text of the bill is available here.

###