Does this make sense?
Alzheimer’s disease is the most expensive disease facing our nation today and is set to increase like no other.
Currently our country spends over $203 billion per year caring for those with Alzheimer’s, with two thirds of those costs paid by Medicare and Medicaid. Without any means of delaying, treating or curing this disease, costs are expected to skyrocket to over $20 trillion by 2050.
By comparison, our nation invests less than 1% of what we spend on caring for those with Alzheimer’s disease on promising research. To put it another way, for every $27,000 spent caring for those with Alzheimer’s, a mere $100 is spent on research. We must and should pay to provide the care we do today, but what we all want most is a world where it is unnecessary; a world without Alzheimer’s.
More Americans are dying either from or with Alzheimer’s, so overcoming this disease will save lives and is key to addressing our nation’s fiscal challenges.
Please urge your member of Congress to take the first steps in addressing this problem by supporting an additional $100 million for efforts to combat Alzheimer’s disease for FY 2014.
Congress simply can’t afford NOT to act.
Want to do more?
Last month close to 1,000 advocates held meetings with nearly every congressional office during the 2013 Alzheimer’s Advocacy Forum in Washington, DC. In everyone of those meetings advocates emphasized the critical need for additional resources and the passage of vital legislation to address the Alzheimer’s crisis. Members of Congress took notice, with many of them agreeing to support and promote these important initiatives, and others promising to seriously consider our proposals.
To capitalize on this momentum advocates and ambassadors from your local communities are currently planning follow-up meetings with elected officials in your district. If you’re interested in joining their efforts and sharing your story with members of Congress, please contact your local chapter today! It’s rewarding, and it matters.
Resource: http://act.alz.org/site/MessageViewer?dlv_id=96745&em_id=77361.0
