One trillion dollars. That's the cost society will be paying by 2050 to treat Alzheimer's patients if current conditions remain unchanged.
So reported the Alzheimer's Association in a study, "Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer's Disease." The report says this staggering bill looming 35 years down the road can only be reduced by a dramatic increase in funding for Alzheimer's research and a consistent focus on understanding and curing the disease.
The association called for such an effort to identify an effective treatment for the disease by 2025.
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"A treatment introduced in 2025 that delays the onset of Alzheimer's would cut the number of people in 2050 who have the disease by 42 percent — from 13.5 million to 7.8 million," the association's report said. Other key messages from the report include:
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In 2015, the costs to all payers for the care of people living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias will total an estimated $226 billion, with Medicare and Medicaid paying 68 percent of the costs. Without a treatment, costs are projected to increase to more than $1.1 trillion in 2050 with Medicare and Medicaid costs increasing to nearly 70 percent of the total.
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Reaching the 2025 goal would save payers $220 billion over the first five years and $367 billion in 2050 alone. Savings to Medicare and Medicaid would account for nearly 60 percent of the savings.
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People living with Alzheimer's and other dementias and their families would save $54 billion over the first five years in their out-of-pocket costs if the 2025 goal is met.
Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the fifth-leading cause of death for individuals age 65 and older, according to the association.
"Alzheimer's disease is a triple threat, with soaring prevalence, lack of treatment and enormous costs, that no one can afford," said Harry Johns, president and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association. "If we're going to change the current trajectory of the disease, thus saving lives and money, we need consistent and meaningful investments in research from the federal government."
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
