Medicare Claims For Alzheimer's Disease Skyrocket 250 Pct; Studies Describe Devastating International Cost of Alzheimer's Disease
[19 July 2004 - Alzheimer's Association on U.S. Newswire] The rate of Medicare beneficiaries identified as having Alzheimer's disease rose 250 percent during the 1990s, according to a study reported at The 9th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (ICAD), presented by the Alzheimer's Association. This and three other studies suggest that Alzheimer's disease is the public health crisis of the 21st century as diagnosis and awareness of Alzheimer's disease increases. "Unless a prevention or cure is found soon, Alzheimer's disease will overwhelm our already stretched health care system and bankrupt Medicare and Medicaid," said Sheldon Goldberg, president and CEO, Alzheimer's Association. "Medicare expenditures for people with Alzheimer's are almost three times higher than the average for all beneficiaries. The cost to Medicare will rise 55 percent to $50 billion in less than 10 years and the cost to Medicaid will soar by 80 percent, to $33 billion." ...