Amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for certain cognitive impairment detection in the Medicare annual wellness visit and initial preventative physical examination.

This bill adds a simple memory and thinking check to Medicare’s yearly wellness visit and the first “Welcome to Medicare” visit. Doctors must use a screening tool recognized by the National Institute on Aging and record which tool they used and the results in the patient’s chart. This starts for visits on or after January 1, 2026 . The goal is to find signs of Alzheimer’s or other dementias earlier so people and families can plan care, get support, and consider treatments sooner .

The bill notes how common and costly dementia is for families and the country, and highlights that early, documented diagnosis helps people build a care team and access services. It also points out that some groups, including older Black and Latino Americans, are at higher risk, and that unpaid caregivers face heavy burdens .

• Who is affected: People on Medicare getting an annual wellness visit or their first preventive exam; their doctors and care teams .
• What changes: A required cognitive check using a National Institute on Aging–recognized tool, with results recorded in the medical record .
• When: Applies to eligible visits on or after January 1, 2026 .