Understanding Alzheimer's by Naheed Ali

Author:Naheed Ali [Ali, Naheed]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2012-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

For health-care services, the average per-person payments in 2004 from all sources for Medicare beneficiaries aged sixty-five and older with Alzheimer’s and other dementia were as follows:

$9,768 for hospital expenses

$5,551 for the medical providers (including the physician, other medical providers, laboratory services, and medical equipment and supplies)

$3,862 for specialized nursing facilities

$1,601 for home health care

$3,198 for prescription medications14

In 2003, individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, who were also Medicare beneficiaries aged sixty-five and older, spent an average of $3,455 or 22 percent of their income on health care.15 For paid care services, there are adult day center services, nursing homes, and assisted-living facilities. The average cost of adult day center services per day was $67 in 2009.16 In assisted-living facilities, the average cost of basic services in the same year was $3,131 a month or $37,572 a year. Some facilities are able to give specialized Alzheimer’s and dementia care that cost an average of $4,556 a month or $54,670 a year.17 In nursing homes, the average cost of a semiprivate room was $203 a day or $74,239 a year, while a private room was $225 a day or $82,113 annually.18 If the nursing home had a separate Alzheimer’s special care unit, the average cost of a semiprivate room was $214 a day, or $77,998 a year, and for a private room, the average cost was $239 a day, or $87,362 annually.19 In 2002, individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other dementia, who were also Medicare beneficiaries aged sixty-five and older, had to pay 37 percent of nursing home care costs out of pocket.20

The total average annual payment made per Alzheimer’s patient with Medicare benefits in 2004 was $42,072, in 2010 dollars.21 This includes payments from all sources, namely, Medicare, Medicaid, uncompensated (unpaid care given by family members and friends), HMOs, private insurance, other managed care organizations, and out-of-pocket payment. This average annual payment was approximately $3,506 a month and $115 a day. Nowadays, the annual cost of home care for a person with this disease is estimated at $76,000, including medical expenses and indirect costs (i.e., loss of production from unpaid caregivers).22 That is a total of $6,333 per month and $208 per day. Patients that require an assisted-living facility or a nursing home have to include the annual cost of those as well, which are $37,572 and $79,935, respectively.

Expensive Approaches

As Alzheimer’s disease has no cure, there is no realistic end to the pharmacological and natural treatments given to the patient. The FDA has approved five drug treatments that are given to help manage the behavioral symptoms, improve mental function, and enable some to carry out their daily activities and independent living for as long as possible. The most expensive drug used for treating Alzheimer’s today is donepezil, the only approved drug for treating all stages of Alzheimer’s, from mild to severe. Prices differ based on the pharmacy selling the drug and the country where it is being sold. Although there are now generic brands of Aricept (donepezil) available, the price of Aricept still remains the same.

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