Vincent Schodolski wrote Sept. 8 about the financial challenges faced by the Veterans Administration due to the number of vets with Alzheimer’s disease. Mr. Schodolski identifies how the Veterans Administration is unprepared for the increased numbers of individuals with Alzheimer’s, and how this is straining a system unprepared for the resources demanded by this fatal disease.
What this article missed was the impact that will be felt by our entire society in the near future. There are currently 4 million people with Alzheimer’s disease in our country. Within the next 50 years, we estimate this number will be more than 14 million people. The financial strain that the VA is feeling now will be experienced by our entire society due to the increase in Medicaid and Medicare spending. Currently, the United States spends $100 billion on Alzheimer’s disease, and this number will grow as the number of those with the disease increases.
In the beginning of September, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to boost research on Alzheimer’s and other aging-related disorders by more than 15 percent–the highest percentage increase allotted for research at the National Institute of Health.
