Costs of Alzheimer's disease could bankrupt Medicare - WCVB Boston

In less than a decade, Alzheimer’s disease robbed Alan Holbrook's wife, Bernadette, of her memory, personality and ultimately, her life.

"Alzheimer's is an incredible burden,” said Alan Holbrook. “We weren't going to be a burden on anybody. But after this, as this started happening, we started looking at our finances, and we realized that we had maybe five or six years worth of ability to pay her bills,” said Holbrook, who’s wife eventually had to be put in a long-term care facility.

At a price-tag of $150,000 each year, the cost of her care was a financial storm their savings simply couldn't weather. So Holbrook applied for Medicaid.

“You're helping to pay my wife's bill here,” said Holbrook.

Sadly, the Holbrooks’ experience is not an isolated one. Of the more than $200 billion per year that Alzheimer's costs families and society in general, 70 percent is covered by Medicaid and Medicare, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“It’s a huge, huge burden on Medicare,” said Dr. Robert Stern, director of the clinical core of the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center

Those astronomical numbers are heading to the stratosphere in just a few short decades. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease. But every 68 seconds, another person develops it. By 2050, an estimated 15 million Americans will have the disease. The cost of their care is expected to rise to $1.2 trillion and includes a 500 percent increase in combined Medicare-Medicaid spending.

“Perhaps, the biggest thing that's causing Medicare to go bust is the huge amount of money that it takes to take care of people with Alzheimer's disease,” said Stern.

Alzheimer's is now the most expensive disease in the U.S., topping cancer and heart disease, according to a new study by the nonprofit RAND Corp.

“Everybody needs to understand the personal impact, the incredible financial impact on this country, and everybody has to know that this can be their problem,” said Alan Holbrook.

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