Alzheimer's research: can it help save our nation's entitlement programs?
Demographics and government budget policies are on a collision course. The aging of the massive baby boom generation is threatening the future solvency of the nation's entitlement programs. The budget-driven response by policy makers is to cut entitlements and reduce spending on discretionary programs, such as funding for research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Sadly, this response is likely to exacerbate the problem by limiting program changes that can better respond to the aging population and draining resources away from scientific inquiry that can help alleviate future fiscal burdens. A more viable solution would be to reform health and long-term care programs to better address the chronic care needs of the aging population and to fully fund science that can delay onset and slow progression of life-threatening diseases like Alzheimer's.
McConnell
Stephen
S
Alzheimer's Association, 1319 F Street NW, Suite 710, Washington, DC 20016, USA. stephen.mcconnell@alz.org
Riggs
Judith
J