[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 83 (Wednesday, June 16, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6901-S6902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. MIKULSKI (for herself, Mr. Bond, Mr. Graham of Florida, 
        Mr. Grassley, Mr. Daschle, Mr. Warner, Mrs. Clinton, Ms. 
        Collins, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Breaux, Mr. DeWine, 
        Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Talent, Mr. 
        Sarbanes, Mr. Allen, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Kerry, Mrs. 
        Dole, Mr. Carper, Mr. Smith, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. 
        Coleman, Mr. Edwards, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Dayton, Mr. Domenici, 
        Mrs. Murray, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Hollings, Mr. Bayh, 
        Mr. Rockefeller, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Lincoln, Ms. 
        Stabenow, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Harkin):
  S. 2533. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to fund 
breakthroughs in Alzheimer's disease research while providing more help 
to caregivers and increasing public education about prevention; to the 
Committee on Finance.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to announce the 
introduction of the Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2004. 
I believe the greatest tribute to President Reagan and the Reagan 
family is a living memorial. That is why I am introducing this 
legislation with my colleague, Senator Kit Bond. Our legislation makes 
an all out effort to spark and accelerate breakthroughs for 
Alzheimer's. The legislation supports research on how to prevent the 
disease, how to care for people who have it, and initiatives to support 
those who are caregivers. Let's celebrate President Reagan's life of 
vigor by attacking Alzheimer's with vigor.
  The time to act for real breakthroughs is now. Just last month, 
Senator Bond and I held a hearing on Alzheimer's research. Expert after 
expert told us: We are on the verge of amazing breakthroughs; we will 
lose opportunities if we don't move quickly; we are at a crucial point 
where NIH funding can make a real difference. Researchers, families, 
and advocates all said the same thing, we need to do more, and we need 
to do better. I believe that the answer to that call is passing the 
Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2004.
  We are truly on the brink of something that can make a huge 
difference for American families. We know that families face great 
difficulties when a loved one has Alzheimer's. There is great emotional 
cost as well as financial cost. We know that for our public investment 
we could get new treatments that would prolong a patient's cognitive 
abilities. Each month we delay admission to a long-term care facility 
is important to the family and to the taxpayer. Everybody wants a cure; 
that is our ultimate goal. But even if we keep people at home for 1 or 
2 more years, to help them with their memory, and their activities of 
daily living, it would be an incredible breakthrough.
  Our bill would do three things. First, it would strengthen our 
national commitment to Alzheimer's research. The legislation doubles 
the funding for Alzheimer's research at the National Institutes of 
Health from $700 million to $1.4 billion. We need to give researchers 
the resources they need to make breakthroughs that are on the horizon 
in diagnosis, prevention and intervention. Also, our bill calls for a 
National Summit on Alzheimer's that would bring together the best minds 
to look at priorities for research moving forward.
  Second, our bill provides critical support for caregivers. The family 
is always the first caregiver. The nation saw what a family of prestige 
and means went through; imagine what other American families are going 
through. The legislation creates a tax credit for families caring for a 
loved one with a chronic condition, like Alzheimer's, that would help 
them pay for prescription drugs, home health care and specialized day 
care. Also, it helps create one-stop shops across the country so 
families can find services like respite care, adult day care and 
training for caregivers.
  Third, our legislation promotes News You Can Use for families and 
physicians. Incredible advances are being made every day. We need to 
get the word out so families and doctors know the most current 
information. The Alzheimer's Association has been doing a great job 
with their ``Maintain Your Brain'' campaign; however, philanthropic 
efforts of advocacy groups are not a substitute for public policy. Our 
bill builds on these efforts to create an effective public education 
strategy.
  It is amazing how far we have come. Back in the early 1980s, 
Alzheimer's was a catch-all term for any kind of memory loss. Today, 
doctors diagnose Alzheimer's with 90-percent accuracy. Every day NIH is 
making progress to identify risks, looking at new kinds of brain scans 
for appropriate detection, and understanding what this disease does to 
the brain.
  How did we get this far, this fast? With a bipartisan commitment of 
the authorizers and appropriators. Together, we have been working to 
increase the funding for the National Institute on Aging. In 1998 the 
National Institute on Aging was funded at approximately $500 million. 
Thanks to our bipartisan effort, it is at $1 billion. Now is the time 
to do more.
  My own dear father had Alzheimer's. I remember when I would go to 
visit him. It didn't matter that I was a United States Senator; it 
didn't matter that I could get Nobel Prize winners on the phone. The 
research and treatments didn't exist for my father, for President 
Reagan, or for more than 4 million families. Alzheimer's is an All 
American disease that affected an All American President. Now we need 
an All American effort to speed up the breakthroughs so no family has 
to go through the long goodbye.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill and move swiftly to enact 
it into law.
  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I rise today to speak of the life, 
leadership and the truly remarkable legacy of the 40th President of the 
United States, Ronald Reagan.
  President Reagan was a great communicator with a powerful message. He 
preached the gospel of hope, freedom and opportunity not just for 
America but for the world. Reagan was a genuinely optimistic person who 
brought that spirit of optimism and hope to the American people and to 
enslaved peoples around the world. He was a man who took disappointment 
and moved on. He was a man of unfailing good humor, care and 
thoughtfulness. Even people who disagreed with his policies across the 
board could not help but like him.
  In the U.S., his policies encouraged the return of more tax dollars 
to average Americans and unfettered entrepreneurship to create jobs and 
build the economy. Reagan's strong military opposition to the Soviet 
Union helped bring down the walls that harbored communism and tyranny 
throughout Eastern Europe and much of the world.
  In a letter to the American people in 1994 Ronald Reagan announced he 
was one of the millions of Americans with Alzheimer's disease. One of 
the most courageous things Ronald and Nancy Reagan did was to announce 
publicly that he had Alzheimer's disease. Through their courage and 
commitment, the former President and his wife, Nancy, changed the face 
of Alzheimer's disease by increasing public awareness of the disease 
and of the need for research into its causes and prevention.
  In honor of Ronald Reagan, today my colleague Senator Mikulski and I 
are introducing the Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2004. 
This bill will increase research for Alzheimer's and increase 
assistance to Alzheimer, patients and their families. This bill will 
serve as a living tribute to President Reagan and will: 1. double 
funding for Alzheimer's Research at the National Institute of Health; 
2. increase funding for the National Family

[[Page S6902]]

Caregiver Support Program from $153 million to $250 million; 3. 
reauthorize the Alzheimer's Demonstration Grant Program that provides 
grants to states to fill in gaps in Alzheimer's services such as 
respite care, home health care, and day care; 4. authorize $1 million 
for the Safe Return Program to assist in the identification and safe, 
timely return of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related 
dementias who wander off from their caregivers; 5. Establish a public 
education campaign to educate members of the public about prevention 
techniques that can maintain their brain'' as they age, based on the 
current research being undertaken by NIH; 6. establish a $3,000 tax 
credit for caregivers to help with the high health costs of caring for 
a loved one at home; and 7. encourage families to prepare for their 
long term needs by providing an above-the-line tax deduction for the 
purchase of long term care insurance.
  Ironically it was President Reagan who drew national attention to 
Alzheimer's for the very first time when he launched a national 
campaign against Alzheimer's disease some 22 years ago.
  In 1983 President Reagan proclaimed November as National Alzheimer's 
Disease Month. In his proclamation President Reagan said ``the 
emotional, financial and social consequences of Alzheimer's disease are 
so devastating that it deserves special attention. Science and clinical 
medicine are striving to improve our understanding of what causes 
Alzheimer's disease and how to treat is successfully. Right now, 
research is the only hope for victims and families.''
  Today, approximately 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's, with 
annual costs for this disease estimated to exceed $100 billion. Today 
there are more than 4.5 million people in the United States with 
Alzheimer's, and that number is expected to grow by 70 percent by 2030 
as baby boomers age.
  In my home State of Missouri, alone, there are over 110,000 people 
with Alzheimer's disease. Based on population growth, unless science 
finds a way to prevent or delay the onset of this disease, that number 
will increase to over 130,000 by 2025--that is an 18 percent increase.
  In large part due to President Reagan, there has been enormous 
progress in Alzheimer research--95 percent of what we know we 
discovered during the past 15 years. There is real potential for major 
breakthroughs in the next 10 years. Baby boomers could be the first 
generation to face a future without Alzheimer's disease if we act now 
to achieve breakthroughs in science.
  President and Mrs. Reagan have been leading advocates in the fight 
against Alzheimer's for more than 20 years, and million of American 
have been helped by their dedication, compassion and effort to support 
caregivers, raise public awareness about Alzheimer's disease and 
increase of nation's commitment to Alzheimer's research.
  This bill will serve as a living tribute to President Reagan and will 
offer hope to all those suffering from the disease today. As we 
celebrate the life and legacy of Ronald Reagan, we are inspired by his 
legendary optimism and hope, and today we move forward to confront this 
expanding public health crisis with renewed vigor, passion, and 
compassion.
  Mr. GRAHAM of Florida. Mr. President, the death last week of 
President Ronald Reagan has focused our attention on the ravages that 
Alzheimer's inflicts not only on the person with the disease, but the 
entire family.
  Alzheimer's disease currently affects 4.5 million Americans. As the 
baby boom generation ages that number is expected to explode. Without 
advances in prevention, diagnosis and treatment, we can not only expect 
a growing emotional toll on those suffering from the disease and their 
families, but also a significant drain on the already strained 
resources of the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
  However, there is reason to be hopeful. We now know that Alzheimer's 
Disease is not a normal part of aging, and that there may be ways to 
prevent the disease. Scientists are beginning to focus on the 
protective effects of mental, physical and social activity, and believe 
that following a diet and exercise program similar to that for people 
with heart disease may delay the onset of Alzheimer's.
  The legislation will accelerate important prevention research, in 
part by putting the National Institute of Aging Alzheimer's Disease 
Prevention Initiative into law.
  In addition, this legislation includes two important changes to our 
tax laws that would provide greater Federal assistance to those who 
bear the burden of assisting patients with Alzheimer's and other 
conditions requiring long-term care. Over 13 million people in the 
United States need help with basic activities of daily living such as 
eating, getting in and out of bed, getting around inside, dressing, 
bathing and using the toilet. While many Americans believe that long-
term care is an issue primarily affecting seniors, the reality is that 
5.2 million adults between the ages of 18-64 and over 450,000 children 
need long-term care services today. These numbers are expected to 
double as the baby boom generation begins to retire.
  Most long-term care is provided at home or in the community by 
informal caregivers. However, in situations where individuals must 
enter nursing homes or other institutional facilities, costs are paid 
largely out-of-pocket. Such a financing structure jeopardizes the 
retirement security of many Americans who have worked hard their entire 
lives.
  The Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act provides two important 
tools to help Americans and their families meet their immediate and 
future long-term care needs--an above-the-line income tax deduction for 
the purchase of long-term care insurance and a caregiver tax credit.
  First, the bill provides an above-the-line deduction for long-term 
care premiums to make long-term care insurance more affordable for a 
greater number of Americans. Today, such premiums are deductible, but 
the availability of the deduction is severely limited. First, the 
current deduction is available only for the thirty percent of taxpayers 
who itemize their deductions. That leaves the remaining seventy percent 
of taxpayers with absolutely no benefit. Second, the deduction is 
limited to an amount, which in addition to other medical expenses 
exceeds 7.5 percent the taxpayers adjusted gross income. This AGI limit 
further decreases the utilization of the current deduction.
  Our legislation removes these restrictions and makes the deduction 
for long-term care premiums available to all taxpayers.
  In order to provide sufficient incentives for families to maintain 
long-term care coverage, the deduction allowed under this bill 
increases the longer the policy is maintained. The deduction starts at 
60 percent for premiums paid during the first year of coverage and 
gradually increases each year thereafter until the deduction reaches 
100 percent after at least four years of continuous coverage. This 
schedule is accelerated for those age 55 or older. For those 
individuals, the deduction starts at 70 percent for the first year and 
increases to 100 percent after at least two years of continuous 
coverage.
  Second, the bill provides an income tax credit for taxpayers with 
long-term care needs. The credit is phased in over 4 years, starting at 
$1,000 for 2003 and eventually reaching $3,000. To target assistance to 
those most in need, the credit phases out for married couples with 
income above $150,000 $75,000 for single taxpayers)''
  The bill also updates the requirements that long-term care policies 
must meet in order to qualify for the income tax deduction. These 
updated requirements reflect the most recent model regulations and code 
issued by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
  I urge my colleagues to join Senators Mikulski, Bond, Grassley, 
Clinton, Warner and me in cosponsoring this legislation.
                                 ______