Congress presents plea for $122M Alzheimer’s disease funding
A bill that would increase Alzheimer’s research funding appropriations by $122 million has passed Congress and is now under deliberation by the president.
The bill is concerned with the National Alzheimer’s Project Act, which aims to find a viable treatment by 2025.
"The Alzheimer's Association applauds the bipartisan efforts of Congress and its recognition of the important messages delivered by our more than 600,000 advocates,” said Robert Egge, Alzheimer's Association vice president of public policy, in an announcement Jan 16. “Their personal stories, backed by the stark facts about the impact of this disease, powerfully conveyed the critical need for increased funding."
The recent Alzheimer's Association Advocacy Forum in April 2013 involved 2,600 congressional district meetings to lobby for more Alzheimer’s funding. The bill up for signature includes $100 million for additional research affiliated with the National Institute on Aging for Alzheimer's. This will be included in the estimated $484 million in funding dedicated to Alzheimer's research last year. The National Institutes of Health's BRAIN Initiative is slated for $30 million for further brain research, including Alzheimer’s studies.
Other appropriations include $3.3 million for caregiver support, $4 million for training programs and $10.5 million for both home and community-centered care facilities. Another $4.2 million is set to fund various outreach programs.
The Alzheimer's Association projected last year that Alzheimer’s-related costs amount to $203 billion annually and could swell to $1.2 trillion by 2050. However, to date only $100 has been allocated from the National Institutes of Health for Alzheimer’s studies for every $27,000 that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services pays out to care for Alzheimer’s patients.