Policy Update

Worldwide Cost of Dementia Care: $315 Billion Annually

The total worldwide cost of dementia care is estimated to be $315.4 billion annually, according to new research published in the April issue of Alzheimer's & Dementia. The number is based on an estimated direct cost of dementia of $210 billion, and an estimated value of $105 billion of dementia care provided "informally"—that is, by friends or family at no charge. The total cost estimate for just the United States is $76 billion. The worldwide estimate of $315.4 billion is higher than the total government budget for all but eight of the world's countries.

The researchers based the informal care estimate only on caregivers who provide support for the most personal activities of daily life, such as bathing, grooming, and dressing. But they also noted that, if caregivers who provide supervision or support for instrumental activities of daily life, such as food preparation, using the phone, and doing personal finances, are included, then the value of informal caregiving jumps from $105 billion to $485 billion. Read More

California Health Care Bill Winding Its Way Through Legislature

Last week, the California Senate Health Committee considered SB 840 by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, a bill which would create a state-administered, single-payer health care system in California. It passed the committee on a 6-4 vote. The new state health care system would be paid for partly with funds that state and local governments are spending anyway on health care programs, and partly with taxes on employers and employees that would replace the health care premiums they currently pay. Instead of paying premiums, deductibles, and copays to insurance companies,

The bill, which will now go to the Appropriations Committee, has become something of a political football in Sacramento. Several Democratic and Republican legislators have proposed alternative versions of the bill, raising a possibility that a compromise version could be the one that actually makes it to law. Last year, the bill passed both houses of the legislature, but Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed it. Sen. Kuehl has said she is confident the bill will pass again this year, and that if the governor vetoes it again, it will be reintroduced in the following year. Read More

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