New Report Addresses Alzheimer Crisis

A new Alzheimer's Association report, Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer's Disease: A National Imperative, examines the financial cost of the rising Alzheimer epidemic and the moderate advancements that could make a huge difference.


From 2010 to 2050, the total costs of care for Americans age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease will increase five-fold, from $172 billion to $1.08 trillion per year. These dollar amounts represent the direct costs of care to all payers, including Medicare, Medicaid, and out-of-pocket costs to people with the conditions and their families, and costs to other payers (such as private insurance, HMOs and other managed care organizations and uncompensated care).

The report also examines the potential cost savings if disease-modifying treatments that delay the onset of Alzheimer's or slow disease progression were available. Currently, for every $25,000 the federal government spends on care for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia, they spend $100 on research.

Support the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA)

By 2050 nearly 16 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s, yet there is no national plan to deal with this looming crisis. NAPA would establish an inter-agency advisory council to address the government’s efforts on Alzheimer research, care, institutional services, and home- and community-based programs.

Find out if your member of Congress is a co-sponsor of NAPA (S. 3036 / H.R. 4689) by visiting alz.org/napa. If not, ask your member of Congress to act now and support NAPA.