By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – Missouri Republican Senator Kit Bond is co-sponsoring a bill that would increase funding for Alzheimer's research and treatment.
The legislation, named in honor of the late President Reagan, would double the federal research budget to $1.4 billion. A similar measure stalled in the Senate last year.
Experts say the average lifetime cost of treating an Alzheimer's patient is nearly $175,000. Bond says the increase will help alleviate that burden:
"Targeting 1.4 billion can bring relief to many families, and potentially over the long term significantly, significantly reduce the Medicare and Medicaid costs, as well as the personal costs of Alzheimer's," Bond said.
More than 110,000 people in Missouri live with Alzheimer's disease.