"A treatment introduced in 2025 that delays the onset of Alzheimer's would cut the number of people in 2050 who have the disease by 42 percent — from 13.5 million to 7.8 million," the association's report said. Other key messages from the report include:

In 2015, the costs to all payers for the care of people living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias will total an estimated $226 billion, with Medicare and Medicaid paying 68 percent of the costs. Without a treatment, costs are projected to increase to more than $1.1 trillion in 2050 with Medicare and Medicaid costs increasing to nearly 70 percent of the total.
Reaching the 2025 goal would save payers $220 billion over the first five years and $367 billion in 2050 alone. Savings to Medicare and Medicaid would account for nearly 60 percent of the savings.
People living with Alzheimer's and other dementias and their families would save $54 billion over the first five years in their out-of-pocket costs if the 2025 goal is met.

Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the fifth-leading cause of death for individuals age 65 and older, according to the association.

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Alzheimer's health costs to skyrocket

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