Minnesota Proposes New Dementia Program While Congress Does the Opposite

Despite the ballooning diagnoses and consequent national costs to treat the disease, federal Alzheimer’s research is among the casualties as the Trump administration dismantles our public health infrastructure.

Cases of Alzheimer’s and other dementias only growing

An estimated 6.7 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease now, and that number is expected to double by 2060. And beyond the emotional, financial, and health challenges we face as unpaid family caregivers (all 11 million of us), the toll on our healthcare spending is also significant: “The total cost of treating individuals with AD and associated dementia is projected to increase from $321 billion in 2022 to over $1 trillion by 2050.”

One would think such an unforgiving and widespread disease would warrant a continuation in mitigation efforts; however, this logic has not been embraced by the new Trump administration, which has been gleefully slashing the foundations of our medical and public health system.

Congress unwilling to expand Alzheimer’s funding; cuts looming

Given this political context, it’s not surprising that the Republican-controlled Congress voted down an amendment from Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) to increase Alzheimer’s research funding.

However, the administration is also targeting the Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias, or CARD. CARD is named after former Republican Senator Roy Blunt, who had long advocated for public health spending and achieved a fivefold increase in dementia research funding over his years in office. It is now being reported that one-tenth of the workers at CARD have now been fired, including its incoming director.

These actions will have a profound impact on our ability to understand, prevent, and treat all forms of dementia as more and more Americans will be diagnosed with the disease.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, new dementia services and funding proposed

It’s still unclear the extent to which federal cuts will impact statewide public health initiatives; however, in spite of these threats, Minnesota state lawmakers have introduced bills in the House (HF 794) and Senate (SF 1030) to double down on their commitment.

The bills would establish a statewide dementia program to coordinate and fund initiatives to educate the public about dementia, understand its impact across Minnesota, and work towards early detection and risk reduction. The proposed appropriation of funds demonstrates the state’s continued attention to Alzheimer’s and related dementias since 2017, from the first Alzheimer’s Disease Working Group to today’s Minnesota Dementia Strategic Plan.

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