Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from California for bringing this issue to the House floor, underscoring the urgency of investing, through the National Institutes of Health, proper funding to find a cause and, thus, a cure for Alzheimer's. As the gentleman said, 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Death from Alzheimer's increased 68 percent between the years 2000 and 2010, while deaths from other major diseases decreased. The cost to the United States is over $200 billion a year. Without a breakthrough, treatment will cost $1 trillion a year by the year 2050. We are still seeking an adequate level of funding. For every $100 that the National Institutes of Health spends on Alzheimer's research, Medicare and Medicaid spend $26,000 caring for those who have the disease. In Congress we have two pieces of legislation: the Alzheimer's Accountability Act, which would ensure that Federal priorities and goals for Alzheimer's research actually reflect what scientists believe is needed; and the HOPE for Alzheimer's Act, which would provide Medicare coverage for the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and for care planning of newly diagnosed Americans. But all of this, as the gentleman from California pointed out, becomes localized and becomes very personal. The origins of Alzheimer's are unknown, but the end is absolutely certain. It ends in losing your cognitive ability, your dignity, and, ultimately, your life.…”