Press Release
Fed Funding Bill Provides $886M for Alzheimer’s Research for 2016Smith Praises Bill that Includes $31.2B for NIH, $300M Increase for Alzheimer’s to $886M
The House Labor, Health and Human Services (L-HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee passed its fiscal year 2016 funding bill Wednesday, which included a major boost in funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to address the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) epidemic.
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), co-chair of numerous healthcare caucuses in the House of Representatives, including the Alzheimer’s Task Force, noted that the FY16 total of $31.2 billion for NIH is $1.1 billion above the current enacted level and $100 million above the President’s initial budget request. Smith also underscored that a significant portion of the increase went to fund critical Alzheimer’s research. “Much of the critical funding increase for the NIH is directed toward specified research areas, most notably $886 million for AD—up $300 million over this year’s total,” said Smith, who held the first-ever congressional hearing examining the global strategies to address Alzheimer’s disease and, who along with former Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts, authored legislation that required the development of the national plan and declared a national goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's by 2025. “NIH is our best hope for finding cures, improving treatments, and gaining a better understanding of the complex causes of degenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s,” Smith said. “I am grateful that during these difficult budgetary times, the House continues to prioritize the investments in research that save lives and mitigate the impact of debilitating diseases on individuals, families, and caregivers.”Smith led a multi-member letter with Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) requesting an increase in funding Alzheimer’s disease research at NIH for fiscal year 2016. The letter stated in part: “Our nation is at a crossroads….The National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease calls for a cure or an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s by the year 2025. Reaching this goal will require a significant increase in federal funding for Alzheimer’s research.” (Click here to read the letter) Smith pointed to the costs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias on federal healthcare programs: “AD costs Medicare and Medicaid $150 billion annually. Yet this year we are spending only $586 million to prevent and cure this disease, a fraction of what is needed,” he said. Smith also recently introduced legislation to provide Medicare coverage for a care planning session where Alzheimer’s patients, their family caregivers, or legal representatives will receive information on medical and non-medical treatments and supports following an AD diagnosis. The Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer’s Act has garnered 187 bipartisan cosponsors and is supported by the Alzheimer's Association, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, USAgainstAlzheimer's and other advocacy organizations. “Alzheimer’s disease causes great suffering and extracts too high a toll on our families and loved ones. In the 114th Congress, we must all continue to work together to reverse the trajectory of this terrible illness by improving outcomes for Alzheimer’s patients, providing assistance to their caregivers, and ultimately finding a cure,” said Smith. Alzheimer’s disease is an incurable, degenerative brain condition that affects 5.2 million Americans and is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. ### |