Peter Roskam: “Thank you very much. I want to thank you for yielding and thank the gentlewoman for yielding. To your point, Alzheimer's…”

“Thank you very much. I want to thank you for yielding and thank the gentlewoman for yielding. To your point, Alzheimer's is a devastating illness, and it is absolutely ravaging our Nation. Five million Americans are suffering from it, and the cost of Alzheimer's is in the billions and billions and billions of dollars. In fact, there are some estimates that suggest it will be in the trillions of dollars between 2010 and 2050. There is some good news and there is some hopeful news that we are on the verge of some new treatments, but we need effective coordination to ensure that the money is spent on research that is being utilized effectively. The devastating cost of this disease is proof in the numbers. Nearly 1 in 5 Medicare dollars is spent on a person with Alzheimer's and other dementias. This year, the total cost of Alzheimer's will be $214 billion, including $150 billion on Medicare and Medicaid expenditures, and this will skyrocket in the years ahead. This is not just a dollars-and-cents issue. Yes, it is very important, and, yes, we discuss dollars and cents in this Chamber and we all bring strong feelings and strong opinions, but setting aside, for a moment, the dollars-and-cents issue, this is inextricably linked to the health of our families, to the health of our communities, and the burden that goes not just on the person who is struck with Alzheimer's, but the burden on the caregiver and the family that has to come along. It is an overwhelming thing.…”