ASG Overview

America is battling an epidemic that is devastating families across the country, and draining state and federal healthcare budgets.

Facts tell the story.

Americans fear Alzheimer's more than heart disease, stroke, or diabetes. Those over 55 fear the disease more than any other - even more than cancer.

And they fear it with good reason. Almost 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's, including almost half those over 85. Every 72 seconds another American joins their ranks. The number of people with Alzheimer's doubles every 5 years beyond age 65. Without breakthroughs, this is just the start. Based on straightforward demographic trends, cases expected to triple over coming generation as baby boomers age.

Alzheimer's is not a gentle disease. It is a killer. There are no cures; there are no remissions. CDC lists Alzheimer's as the 7th leading cause of death in America. While other leading killers are falling each year, Alzheimer's continues to climb.

Alzheimer's also threatens to overwhelm our public and private healthcare and long term care infrastructure. Alzheimer's already costs the federal government alone more than $100 Billion per year. Healthcare for Alzheimer's patients is three times as expensive as for those without. Half of all nursing home residents suffer from Alzheimer's.

But Alzheimer's disease is about much more than numbers. It's about people, and the loss of their independence, their memory, and their identity. It's about American families watching their loved ones suffer, while a cure seems out of reach.

Congressional leaders, deeply concerned about the devastating and escalating impact of Alzheimer's disease upon the Nation, identified the need for an independent, non-partisan Alzheimer's Study Group (ASG). This group would assess the adequacy of the country's current efforts to combat Alzheimer's. It would then recommend a National Alzheimer's Strategic Plan to address identified opportunities and accelerate progress toward defeating this terrible disease.

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich, founder of The Center for Health Transformation, and former Senator Bob Kerrey, president of The New School, joined with Congressional leaders on July 11, 2007 to announce the formation of the ASG, and their role as co-chairs.

The ASG will work efficiently and decisively to deliver a National Alzheimer's Strategic Plan in 2008. This will allow results to be available for the consideration of candidates and by the incoming administration. Rather than holding all conclusions until the completion of its work, the ASG will periodically release findings and statements on a non-partisan, non-political basis.

The ASG is a fully independent entity, administered and managed through The Center for Health Transformation.