[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 49 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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115th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 49
Declaring that achieving the primary goal of the National Plan to
Address Alzheimer's Disease of the Department of Health and Human
Services to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's disease by 2025
is an urgent national priority.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 6, 2017
Ms. Collins (for herself and Ms. Klobuchar) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Declaring that achieving the primary goal of the National Plan to
Address Alzheimer's Disease of the Department of Health and Human
Services to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's disease by 2025
is an urgent national priority.
Whereas the number of individuals in the United States with Alzheimer's and
related dementias (referred to in this preamble as ``Alzheimer's'') is
as high as 5,400,000, which is more than double the number in 1980;
Whereas based on the trajectory of Alzheimer's, as many as 16,000,000
individuals in the United States may have Alzheimer's by 2050;
Whereas the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer's and other dementias is a global
health crisis that afflicts an estimated 46,780,000 individuals
worldwide as of August, 2015 and may afflict more than 131,000,000
individuals by 2050;
Whereas Alzheimer's is a leading cause of death in the United States with data
indicating that more than 500,000 deaths each year are attributable to
the disease;
Whereas Alzheimer's is the only disease among the top 10 causes of death in the
United States without an effective means to prevent, slow, or stop;
Whereas Alzheimer's places an enormous financial strain on families, the health
care system, and State and Federal budgets;
Whereas the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) and the Medicaid program under title XIX of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) are estimated to bear more
than two-thirds of the total costs of this care in 2016;
Whereas a RAND Corporation study published in 2013 and commissioned by the
National Institute on Aging found that Alzheimer's is the costliest
disease in the United States, costing more than cancer and heart
disease;
Whereas in 2015, an estimated 15,800,000 family members and friends of
individuals with Alzheimer's provided those individuals with
18,100,000,000 hours of unpaid care, an amount valued at more than
$221,300,000;
Whereas Alzheimer's disease has a disproportionate impact on many populations
including women, African-Americans, and Latinos;
Whereas the global cost of Alzheimer's exceeds $818,000,000,000 each year, an
amount equal to approximately 1 percent of the world's gross domestic
product;
Whereas in December 2013, the G-8 nations met and adopted a political
declaration supporting the goal of a cure or disease-modifying therapy
for dementia by 2025 as well as collectively and significantly
increasing resources committed to dementia research;
Whereas Alzheimer's takes an emotional and physical toll on caregivers that
results in a higher incidence of chronic conditions, such as heart
disease, cancer, and depression among caregivers;
Whereas the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease of the Department of
Health and Human Services makes recommendations relating to family
caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's to provide care while
maintaining personal health and well-being;
Whereas the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease supports informal
caregivers by--
(1) identifying the support needs of caregivers;
(2) developing and disseminating modes for intervention;
(3) providing information that caregivers need, particularly in crisis
situations; and
(4) assisting caregivers in maintaining personal health and well-being;
Whereas a strong and sustained research effort is the best tool to slow the
progression and ultimately prevent the onset of Alzheimer's;
Whereas while the cost to the Medicare and Medicaid programs of caring for
individuals with Alzheimer's is estimated to be $160,000,000,000 in
2016, the United States, through the National Institutes of Health, will
spend about $991,000,000 on Alzheimer's research in 2016;
Whereas the Chairman of the Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care, and
Services created by the National Alzheimer's Project Act (42 U.S.C.
11225) has testified before Congress that the United States must devote
at least $2,000,000,000 each year to Alzheimer's research to reach the
goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's by 2025; and
Whereas the public members of the Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research,
Care, and Services unanimously agree with the testimony of the Chairman
regarding the amount of money required to reach the goal for 2025: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) is committed to strengthening the quality of care and
expanding support for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and
related dementias (referred to in this resolution as
``Alzheimer's'') and family caregivers of individuals with
Alzheimer's;
(2) declares that achieving the primary goal of the
National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease to prevent and
effectively treat Alzheimer's by 2025 is an urgent national
priority;
(3) recognizes that bold action and considerable increases
in funding are necessary to meet that goal;
(4) encourages greater collaboration between the United
States and other global governments, particularly the G-7
nations, to advance a global Alzheimer's and dementia research
plan;
(5) supports innovative public-private partnership and the
pursuit of innovative financing tools, incentives and other
mechanisms to accelerate the pursuit of disease-modifying
therapies; and
(6) strives to--
(A) double the amount of funding the United States
spends on Alzheimer's research in fiscal year 2017; and
(B) develop a plan for fiscal years 2018 through
2021 to meet the target of the Advisory Council on
Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services for the United
States to spend $2,000,000,000 each year on Alzheimer's
research.
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