The citizen watchdog non-profit Florida TaxWatch has released a new report indicating Florida is heading toward a crisis point with Alzheimer’s disease if the state doesn’t invest more in research.
The report from the Florida TaxWatch Center for Health & Aging indicates more than 480,000 people in Florida are living with Alzheimer’s disease. That number is expected to nearly double by 2025. Director of the TaxWatch Center for Health & Aging, Tamara Demko said the study highlights the need for state lawmakers not to leave Alzheimer’s research funding to the federal government.
Demko says the number of deaths from Alzheimer’s rose 68% between 2000 and 2010 while federal spending on research has remained flat at $448 million in 2011. “In comparison, heart disease has decreased by 16% and they spent $42 billion on heart disease research,” said Demko. “So it’s completely disproportionate in terms of what is becoming relevant nationally and what is really important to the state of Florida given our changing demographics.”
Additionally, more than half of nursing home residents in the U.S. with Alzheimer’s disease use Medicaid for services. “Florida as a state, in terms of the federal medical assistance percentage, which is the portion of Medicaid that Florida pays; we pay more than 40% of the cost of care,” said Demko. “And Medicaid spent for individuals with Alzheimer’s is $37 billion. So the portion that Florida will be paying will end up being quite high over time.”
State Rep. Matt Hudson, R-Naples, and State Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, have sponsored companion bills that would create a state funded Alzheimer’s research grant program. The House’s budget proposal approved last Thursday includes a $3 million appropriation for that program. The Senate’s budget proposal did not include funding for the bill.
