ADRD

In this article, the authors conducted a systematic review of studies reporting the direct healthcare costs of treating older adults with diagnosed Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) within private Medicare managed care plans. 

This article estimates dementia's incremental cost to the traditional Medicare program. The authors compared Medicare expenditures for 60 months following a claims-based dementia diagnosis to those for a randomly selected, matched comparison group.   Dementia's five-year incremental cost to the traditional Medicare program is approximately $15 700 per patient, nearly half of which is incurred in the first year after diagnosis. Increased costs for individuals with dementia were driven by more intensive use of Medicare part A covered services.

Dr. Coe spoke at the 2019 Milken Institute Global Conference on the price of dementia. Dr. Coe’s comments focused on the effect that Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias have on individuals and their families and how this then affects our economy.

About 5.5 million older adults are living with dementia, a chronic, progressive disease characterized by severe cognitive decline. This number will likely grow significantly as the U.S. population ages, which has cost implications for the Medicare program. A full accounting of these additional expenses will help policymakers plan for them in their Medicare budgets.