MCALLEN, Texas - More than seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and more than 12 million provide their unpaid care.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the cost of caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias is estimated to total $409 billion in 2026, increasing to nearly $1 trillion (in today’s dollars) by mid-century.
Kathleen Clark, a finance advisor and volunteer community educator for the Alzheimer’s Association in Corpus Christi, told the Rio Grande Guardian about important legislation the group is pushing for in Congress.
The bipartisan Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act would change the law so Medicare can cover FDA-approved blood tests for Alzheimer’s, Clark said.
Currently, Medicare does not routinely cover these tests, which can detect Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear.
Here is a video recording of the interview with Clark:
