[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 73]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE BUDGET AND NATIONAL PLAN

  (Mr. MARKEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. MARKEY. As we debate our national budget, we must address one of 
the largest costs threatening our economy and bankrupting our 
families--the Alzheimer's pandemic. 5.4 million Americans suffer from 
Alzheimer's today, and as all the baby boomers retire, 15 million 
Americans will have Alzheimer's.
  We already spend $130 billion a year on Alzheimer's from Medicare and 
Medicaid. At this rate, in 2050, we will spend $800 billion every year 
from Medicare and Medicaid on this one disease alone. That is more than 
the entire defense budget today.
  Thankfully, right now, the Advisory Council for the National 
Alzheimer's Project Act is developing the first-ever comprehensive 
national plan to fight this disease. We cannot cut funding for medical 
research for Alzheimer's today if we want to balance the budget 
tomorrow.
  We made a vow to care for our citizens as they age. NIH is the 
National Institutes of Hope. We must not cut that budget or else all of 
these families with Alzheimer's will have no hope.

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