2012 -- H 8063

=======

LC02414

=======

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012

____________

J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N

AFFIRMING THE NEED FOR A STATE PLAN FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND

RELATED DISORDERS

     

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Bennett, Hull, McLaughlin, Silva, and Blazejewski

     Date Introduced: April 11, 2012

     Referred To: House Health, Education & Welfare

1-1

     WHEREAS, Alzheimer’s disease is a fatal, degenerative disease of the brain that impairs

1-2

cognitive function, memory, and behavior; and

1-3

     WHEREAS, Alzheimer’s disease is not part of the normal aging process; and

1-4

     WHEREAS, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States

1-5

and the fifth leading cause of death for those over 65 years of age; and

1-6

     WHEREAS, Alzheimer’s disease is the only leading cause of death that cannot be

1-7

prevented, cured, or even slowed; and

1-8

     WHEREAS, An estimated 5.4 million people nationwide have Alzheimer’s disease,

1-9

including 200,000 individuals under the age of 65; and

1-10

     WHEREAS, In 2010, approximately 24,000 Rhode Island residents were living with

1-11

Alzheimer’s disease; and

1-12

     WHEREAS, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, accounting for

1-13

an estimated sixty to eighty percent of incidence; and

1-14

     WHEREAS, People living with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders use hospital,

1-15

nursing home, and other health and long-term care services at a high rate, resulting in high costs

1-16

to Medicare, Medicaid, and other payers; and

1-17

     WHEREAS, Medicaid payments for beneficiaries over the age of 65 with Alzheimer’s

1-18

disease are nine times higher than payments for those without the disease; and

2-19

     WHEREAS, By the year 2050, the total cost of care nationally for individuals with

2-20

Alzheimer’s disease is expected to soar from $172 billion in 2010, to more than $1 trillion (in

2-21

today’s dollars); and

2-22

     WHEREAS, Medicaid’s share of that spending will increase over 400 percent during that

2-23

time; and

2-24

     WHEREAS, These costs do not reflect the value of unpaid care provided to those living

2-25

with Alzheimer’s disease by family members and friends; and

2-26

     WHEREAS, There are over 50,000 unpaid caregivers providing an estimated 60 million

2-27

hours of uncompensated care for people living with Alzheimer’s disease; and

2-28

     WHEREAS, Alzheimer’s disease takes a tremendous emotional toll on all whose lives it

2-29

touches, including family members, friends, and especially the caregivers of those living with

2-30

Alzheimer’s disease; and

2-31

     WHEREAS, Caregiving has negative effects on the caregiver’s own employment,

2-32

income, financial security, and health; and

2-33

     WHEREAS, The projected growth in the aging population of Rhode Island, combined

2-34

with the particular needs of the Alzheimer’s disease population, present a substantial and unique

2-35

challenge to the state; and

2-36

     WHEREAS, On January 4, 2011, President Obama signed into law the National

2-37

Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), requiring the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and

2-38

Human Services to establish a national Alzheimer’s Project; and

2-39

     WHEREAS, On February 22, 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

2-40

released a Draft National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease, which includes the goal of

2-41

preventing or treating Alzheimer’s disease by 2025; and

2-42

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island has a significant opportunity to build upon this national

2-43

momentum, as well as to identify and address the distinct needs and unique challenges to the state

2-44

posed by Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders; now therefore be it,

2-45

     RESOLVED, That this General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence

2-46

Plantations hereby affirms the need for a state plan for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders,

2-47

which shall serve as a comprehensive state strategy for educating the public about Alzheimer’s

2-48

disease, collecting and analyzing statewide data related to the current and future needs of

2-49

Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers, and recommending ways to improve the provision of

2-50

care and availability of community supports for those living with Alzheimer’s disease and their

2-51

caregivers; and be it further

2-52

     RESOLVED, That the Long-Term Care Coordinating Council, as established in R.I.G.L.

2-53

23-17.3, convene an Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders working group (hereafter

3-1

“working group”), to be co-chaired by the chair of the Long-Term Care Coordinating Council, the

3-2

lieutenant governor or designee, and the director of the division of elderly affairs, for the purpose

3-3

of developing such a state plan; and be it further

3-4

     RESOLVED, That the working group consist of community stakeholders, including, but

3-5

not limited to, members of the long-term care coordinating council; and be it further

3-6

     RESOLVED, That the working group shall transmit to the governor and to the general

3-7

assembly a state plan for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders on or before July 1, 2013; and

3-8

be it further

3-9

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to

3-10

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the

3-11

Lieutenant Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Secretary of Health and Human Services,

3-12

the Chairperson of the Long-Term Care Coordinating Council, and the Director of the Division of

3-13

Elderly Affairs.

     

=======

LC02414

=======

H8063