Alzheimer's disease takes a tremendous personal and economic toll on both the individual and the family. As someone whose family has experienced the pain of Alzheimer's too many times, I know that there is no more helpless feeling than to watch the progression of this dreadful disease. It is an agonizing experience to look into the eyes of a loved one only to receive a confused look in return.
An estimated 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease - including more than 25,000 people in Maine -- more than double the number in 1980. If nothing is done to change the current trajectory, 13.5 million Americans over the age of 65 will have Alzheimer's disease by 2050. In addition to the suffering it causes, Alzheimer's costs the United States $172 billion a year, primarily in nursing home and other long-term care costs. This figure will only increase exponentially as the baby boom generation ages. If nothing is done to slow or stop the disease, Alzheimer's will cost the United States $20 trillion over the next 40 years.
At a time of mounting deficits, the increasing number of Alzheimer's cases has dire implications for our federal budget as well. The average annual Medicare payment for an individual with Alzheimer's is three time higher than for those without the condition. For Medicaid, average payments are nine times higher. Failure to achieve progress in the fight against the disease will result in Alzheimer's costs to Medicare skyrocketing more than 600 percent and costs to Medicaid growing more than 400 percent by 2050.
Despite these alarming projections, to date, there has been no national strategy to defeat Alzheimer's, and our efforts to combat the disease have lacked coordination and focus. That is why I am so pleased that both the House and Senate have passed, and the President will sign, bipartisan legislation that I coauthored with Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), to create a coordinated strategic national plan for combating Alzheimer's disease.
The bipartisan National Alzheimer's Project Act, which is based on a key recommendation of the nonpartisan Alzheimer's Study Group led by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, will launch a campaign within the federal government to overcome Alzheimer's disease. It calls for the creation of a National Alzheimer's Disease Plan within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve care and support services for Alzheimer's patients and their families and accelerate research to develop treatments that would prevent, halt or reverse the course of Alzheimer's. This plan will be updated annually with a report submitted to Congress assessing the nation's progress in preparing for the growing burden of Alzheimer's disease.
The legislation also establishes an Advisory Council to advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the plan, which is also to include implementation steps and recommendations for priority actions. The Advisory Council is also charged with coordinating all federal efforts on Alzheimer's research, care, and support services.
As the Senate co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's disease, I am committed to conquering this dreadful disease that has caused such pain for so many American families. The National Alzheimer's Project Act will help us to focus our national efforts to combat Alzheimer's and accelerate our progress toward better treatments, a means of prevention, and ultimately even a cure for Alzheimer's disease.