The Growing Cost of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s Dementia Trends

Read the latest on Alzheimer’s rates and new findings on risk factors and testing.

• Rising Numbers: An estimated 7.2 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s dementia, or roughly 1 in 9 older adults. The health and long-term care costs for Alzheimer’s and other dementias are significant, projected to reach $384 billion in 2025. This does not include an additional estimated $413.5 billion in unpaid caregiving, often provided by family members and friends.
  
• New Risk Factors: Recent research highlights several modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s, including sedentary behavior, type 2 diabetes, and reduced sleep quality. Herpes simplex virus 1 infections (cold sores) or high cortisol levels (specifically in post-menopausal women) may also contribute to the increased risk of dementia due to changes in the brain.
  
• Recent Advancements: While there is no cure for dementia, the latest advancements may make earlier diagnosis more accessible and less invasive. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first blood test to detect Alzheimer’s-related brain changes. Researchers have also found new potential pathways through which Alzheimer’s and other dementias develop, which could contribute to future treatment options.

Resources & Initiatives

• The Alzheimer’s Association launched a free mobile app designed to support newly diagnosed dementia patients.
• The National Institute on Aging shares resources for people caring for individuals with dementia.
• The Alzheimer’s Association and the New York Times highlight common signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
• Blue Cross NC provides tips for caregivers, including support programs and guidance.

Health Industry News

• Health Care Technology: A new study by Trilliant Health shows upcoding (i.e., a practice used to code clinical visits at a higher urgency, which can lead to generating higher payer reimbursement) has been occurring more frequently for clinical outpatient visits. The study found a growth in the percentage of high intensity code usage for emergency care, urgent care and physician office visits between 2018 and 2023.
• Pharmaceutical Drugs: The Federal Trade Commission renews challenges against over 200 improperly listed device patent listings. These improper patent listings have shielded brand-name drugs for conditions, such as asthma and diabetes, from generic competition. Eli Lilly shows interest in the pain medication pipeline with their recent $1 billion private acquisition of biopharma company, SiteOne Therapeutics.
• Health Care Workforce: A new survey shows 49% of nurses agreed that flexible scheduling would encourage them to stay in the profession longer, with some sharing their use of a shift scheduling app. A recent Nature article discusses how artificial intelligence advancements can offer solutions to addressing radiologist workforce shortages. To address the health care workforce shortage, Arkansas joins an interstate licensure compact, allowing health care workers to practice across state lines under contractual terms.

Health Policy Watch

New COVID-19 vaccine guidance and the impact of new policies on nutrition support and research.

• ACIP and Vaccines: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), removed all members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, the group that reviews vaccine data, produces guidelines on who should receive vaccines, and provides recommendations on vaccine coverage by insurers. He has replaced the former panel with new members he announced this week.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Limits: The FDA is planning to restrict COVID-19 vaccine access for children and healthy adults, though the policy is still taking shape. The move has sparked debate, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continuing to recommend COVID-19 shots for children. Other experts say pregnant women should continue to receive the shots and boosters. The FDA did grant limited approval to Moderna for a new COVID-19 vaccine.

• Funding Cuts Threaten Research and Public Health: Experts are sounding the alarm about the impact of cuts the Trump Administration has made to the nation’s public health system and medical research. An extensive, data-driven report, published in the New York Times, shows the types of research that have been terminated.

• HIV Vaccine Research Halted: The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reports that funding for the consortia for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development and Immunology has been eliminated. The group’s work was also considered applicable to autoimmune diseases and COVID-19 drugs.
• Colorado Expands Family Leave: Gov. Jared Polis has signed a bill that increases paid family and medical leave for 12 weeks for parents with babies in neonatal intensive care units. This follows Colorado’s 2020 policy, which made it one of the first states to offer a paid family leave policy.

Infectious Disease Update

• Measles: As of June 5th, there have been 1,168 confirmed measles cases in the United States (U.S.). Research involving over 2,000 U.S. counties shows that childhood vaccination rates against measles decreased in nearly 80% of these counties after the COVID-19 pandemic. WastewaterSCAN, an academic and commercial group, is the first to test and find measles in wastewater on a national level. The CDC issues new travel guidance on measles after a Turkish Airlines flight is linked to 6 measles cases.
• COVID-19: As a new COVID-19 variant with symptoms similar to previous variants spreads abroad, doctors from the World Health Organization (WHO) share that the U.S. public health risk remains low. New research from The Journal of Gerontology reports that 140,000 out of over 3.5 million Medicare beneficiaries were diagnosed with long COVID-19 after a year experiencing symptoms.
  
• Manufacturers and Vaccines: The FDA is requiring Moderna and Pfizer to expand their COVID-19 vaccine warning label to include the risk of heart inflammation in adolescents and young men. While the FDA approved a new COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Moderna, HHS has cancelled their $600 million contract to develop, test, and license vaccines for flu subtypes, including the H5N1 bird flu virus.
  

Resources & Initiatives

• The Washington Post provides tips on how to stay safe from measles when traveling.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona shares how to protect yourself from measles.
  
• Independence Blue Cross shares what to know about the measles vaccine and antibody testing.
  
• Yale researchers clarify the differences between COVID-19 vaccines.

Maternal & Child Mental and Physical Health

Learn about updates in maternal mental health, youth mental health, and children’s oral health costs.

• Maternal Mental Health: The self-reported mental health of mothers in the U.S. declined significantly from 2016 to 2023, and mothers with lower socioeconomic status were particularly impacted, according to a large, new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. A separate study explores a machine learning model to evaluate postpartum depression risk, which affects 15% of individuals after childbirth, using readily accessible clinical and demographic factors.

• Maternal Health Risks: Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California found that obesity, gestational diabetes, and high blood pressure during pregnancy are linked to higher blood pressure in children, with the impact becoming more pronounced as the children get older.

• Emergency Medical Treatment: The Trump administration is revoking guidance to the nation’s hospitals that directs them to provide emergency abortions for women when they are necessary to stabilize their medical condition. Although rescinding this guidance does not alter the federal law, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), medical professionals are concerned that this change may further confuse medical providers about their ability to administer potentially life-saving care.
• Youth Mental Health: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is rising, especially among teens ages 15–17. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s latest Health of America report uses nationwide data to explain the youth mental health crisis and shows that MDD rates in young people jumped during the pandemic and have stayed high since.
• Fluoride Costs: Removing fluoride from drinking water could lead to a 7.5% rise in tooth decay and cost an extra $9.8 billion over five years, according to a model created by researchers at Mass General Brigham. The model found that eliminating fluoride could lead to 25.4 million more decayed teeth—about one decayed tooth for every three children.

Resources & Initiatives

• The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health released its state report cards that grade states on their maternal mental health.
  
• Parkland Health Foundation, with support from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas' Special Beginnings program, is expanding access to care and helping improve health outcomes for postpartum moms.
  
• KFF’s new analysis on the health and mental health impacts of gun violence on children and adolescents.
• A new National Association of State Health Policy report looks at how states have expanded efforts to integrate behavioral and physical health services through Medicaid managed care, aiming to improve outcomes and care coordination across all levels of need.
• The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Foundation distributed $275,000 to seven groups that are working to improve care across the state, including mental health outreach.
• The Wellmark Foundation announces a grant to address the youth mental and behavioral health crisis in Iowa.