Medicare Claims for Alzheimer's Patients Explode

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http://www.mercola.com/2004/aug/4/medicare_alzheimers.htm

 

Medicare Claims for Alzheimer's Patients Explode

 

Cases of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease

have reached epidemic proportions and it is now

considered to be the number one public health crisis

of the 21st century.

 

Experts expressed concerns over how the costs of care

for Alzheimer's were draining the financial resources

of both Medicare and Medicaid, particularly the costs

to cover Alzheimer's claims, which were nearly three

times higher than the average claims. The cost to

Medicare is predicted to climb to 55 percent reaching

$50 billion in less than 10 years. The cost to

Medicaid doesn't look much better, as it is estimated

to rise by 80 percent to $33 billion.

 

An analysis of 30,000 Medicare claims showed an

increase in Alzheimer's disease especially among the

African American population where there was a

significant jump of 460 percent.

 

The Rise of Alzheimer's Cases

 

*

 

Baby boomers, who are considered at high risk of

developing Alzheimer's, are expected to reach 1

million a year

*

 

The number of people with Alzheimer's is

predicted to go from today's estimate of 4.5 million

to nearly 16 million by the year 2050

*

 

Current national costs for providing care to

Alzheimer's patients: $100 billion

 

Study on Costs to Medicare for Alzheimer's Patients

 

*

 

Costs were analyzed over a 15-year period after

a person was diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease

*

 

1,600 participants took part in the study

*

 

Components of care that were evaluated included

years of institutionalized care, hours of paid and

informal care and discounted costs of paid community,

institutional and medical care

 

Results of the Study

 

*

 

Due to having a longer life expectancy rates,

the average cost of care for a woman with Alzheimer's

was around $16,327 per year compared to the cost for a

man with Alzheimer's, which was an estimated $9,710

per year

*

 

Cost for care in the final stages of the disease

were a great deal higher than the costs for the

initial stages of the disease

 

Because of the catastrophic costs and the number of

people predicted to develop Alzheimer's, researchers

expressed the need for more funding for research with

hopes that it will provide them with knowledge on less

expensive treatments for Alzheimer's.

 

As a way of reaching this goal The Alzheimer's

Association came up with the following

recommendations:

 

*

 

A request for $1 billion in annual federal

funding to be used for Alzheimer's research

*

 

Guiding Americans to think about Alzheimer's

differently and focus on prevention techniques such as

lifestyle and improving brain health

*

 

Incorporating a chronic health care benefit into

the Medicare program to cover the exorbitant costs of

care associated to dementia and other related

conditions

*

 

Improving the quality of care and support

services available to people with Alzheimer's

 

EurekAlert July 19, 2004

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

The total number of people with Alzheimer's will

almost quadruple from an estimated 4.5 million today

to as many as 16 million by 2050.

 

The national direct and indirect costs to cover

Alzheimer's care are an astounding $100 billion.

 

With these kinds of statistics it's critical to take

action now. Rather than waiting and depending on

Medicare to come up with a benefit to cover these

catastrophic costs, it is imperative to take control

of your health today to avoid becoming one of these

statistics.

 

Alzheimer's is such a difficult disease to treat and

until there is a confirmed cure for it, your best bet

is to take preventive measures against it now! These

steps to reduce your risk of Alzheimer's are

inexpensive, natural and can be easily implemented by

anyone:

 

* Follow the dietary program, paying special

attention to avoiding sugar

* Eat plenty of high-quality fish oil

* Avoid most fish and remove mercury fillings

* Avoid aluminum such as that in antiperspirants

and cookware

* Exercise for three to five hours per week

* Eat plenty of vegetables according to your

metabolic type

* Avoid flu vaccinations

 

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Estrogen No Help in Alzheimerís Study Finds

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