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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio)— A new bill at the Massachusetts State House would see insurance companies covering the costs of tracking devices for patients with memory loss and other conditions.
The bill, put forward by State Rep. Colleen Garry of Dracut, would require insurance companies to pay for electronic tracking devices that are commonly used for patients with diseases that cause memory loss like Alzheimer's and Dementia. They are also common for people on the Autism spectrum.
Garry testified before the Joint Committee on Financial Services on Tuesday and said footing the cost of these bills would end up helping insurance companies in the long run.
"These $500 trackers can save hundreds of thousands of dollars, never mind lives," Garry said.
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This hearing came only days after a missing 86-year-old Randolph Woman was found dead about two miles away from her home. Marie Laure Depestre went missing from her home Sunday night and had a history of memory loss.
Garry mentioned the death of Depestre in her testimony arguing for her bill
"We have to look at what it is costing the individual, and many times it's their lives," Garry said. "It's costing our public safety to have to go out and do these searches and it costs the medical costs of going into the emergency room and maybe an ICU."
WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) has the story.
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