Alzheimer's and Medicaid

Alzheimer's and Medicaid

Alzheimer's disease has no cure or effective treatment. As the disease progresses ultimately these patients will require admission to nursing homes. Individuals with Alzheimer's will spend 40 percent of their remaining years in the most severe stages and by age 80, 75 percent will require care of nursing homes compared to 4 percent of the general population. Today 61 percent of nursing home patients have moderate or severe cognitive impairment. Medicaid spending on patients with Alzheimer's is expected to reach $47 billion in 2018 and by 2025, 22 States will see there Medicaid cost rise by at least 30 percent. Providing care and managing cost is becoming increasingly difficult.
Research to find effective treatments and ultimately a cure is critical. The Senate passed the $425 million request for NIH research in the FY 2019 budget. Now the House must vote on this amount. I urge you ask your Congressman to support this amount of funding. I thank Congressman David Scott of Georgia District 13 for his ongoing support of Alzheimer's research funding.