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“In 2020, the direct costs to American society of caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias will total an estimated $305 billion” https://act.alz.o

“In 2020, the direct costs to American society of caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias will total an estimated $305 billion” https://act.alz.org/site/DocServer/2012_Costs_Fact_Sheet_version_2.pdf?docID=7161 https://act.alz.org/site/DocServer/2012_Costs_Fact_Sheet_ver... It costs a fortune to treat the disease. We’ll save a fortune by curing it.

hnlmorg 2y ago
You can’t stop treating people while we research for a cure. And in fact both already do happen in parallel. So your point is moot.
- melling 2y ago
  How are we spending for research? Because we are going to spend $18 trillion for treatment by 2050. “Cumulatively between 2023 and 2050, it will cost nearly $18 trillion (in 2023 dollars) — nearly two-thirds of which will be borne by Medicare and Medicaid.” https://alzimpact.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/Fiscal%20Year%202024%20Alzheimer%27s%20Research%20Funding.pdf https://alzimpact.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/Fiscal%20Y... So, my not so moot point is we are not spending nearly enough on research.
  - memen 2y ago
    There is no guarantee the cure will be cheap or even cheaper compared to the current situation. Not to mention the increase in other medical conditions that are bound to occur in the added years of life and add to the total medical bill. Also, note that this investment money is directly related to the number of working hours. All those people working on a cure in labs etc. will have a very different experience in life compared to those same people earning the same money for caring for their fellow humans. It is not a purely financial weighing.
  - hnlmorg 2y ago
    It's all good and well making statements like that but, and at risk of repeating myself, you cannot stop treating people just because you want to spend more on research. And even if you did magic up more money to spend on research, there's no guarantee that a cure would be found by 2050. Or even if it's curable at all.

hnlmorg 2y ago

You can’t stop treating people while we research for a cure. And in fact both already do happen in parallel. So your point is moot.

melling 2y ago
How are we spending for research? Because we are going to spend $18 trillion for treatment by 2050. “Cumulatively between 2023 and 2050, it will cost nearly $18 trillion (in 2023 dollars) — nearly two-thirds of which will be borne by Medicare and Medicaid.” https://alzimpact.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/Fiscal%20Year%202024%20Alzheimer%27s%20Research%20Funding.pdf https://alzimpact.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/Fiscal%20Y... So, my not so moot point is we are not spending nearly enough on research.
- memen 2y ago
  There is no guarantee the cure will be cheap or even cheaper compared to the current situation. Not to mention the increase in other medical conditions that are bound to occur in the added years of life and add to the total medical bill. Also, note that this investment money is directly related to the number of working hours. All those people working on a cure in labs etc. will have a very different experience in life compared to those same people earning the same money for caring for their fellow humans. It is not a purely financial weighing.
- hnlmorg 2y ago
  It's all good and well making statements like that but, and at risk of repeating myself, you cannot stop treating people just because you want to spend more on research. And even if you did magic up more money to spend on research, there's no guarantee that a cure would be found by 2050. Or even if it's curable at all.