Corker Backs Increased Federal Investment in Alzheimer's Research to Help Cure, Prevent and Manage Devastating Disease

Corker Backs Increased Federal Investment in Alzheimer's Research to Help Cure, Prevent and Manage Devastating Disease

Following a tour with Bristol Regional Medical Center personnel to discuss the best way to help more Tennesseans gain and maintain access to affordable, quality health care, U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker today endorsed increased federal investment in curing, preventing and managing Alzheimer's disease.

"This is a very personal matter for me, just like it is for thousands of others throughout Tennessee, because I'm sad to say my Dad has Alzheimer's, and I know how hard this is on other families," stated Corker. "It's so hard emotionally because it's devastating to lose one's cognitive abilities - or to watch it happen to a loved one."

Pointing out how hard the disease is on families' pocketbooks - on average, costing $19,000 per year - the U.S. Senate candidate said providing $200 million in additional research into curing, preventing, and managing this disease now could help save billions over the next ten years, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

"If scientists can find treatments that are at least as effective as those discovered for congestive heart failure and Parkinson's disease, it would substantially reduce the number of people who have Alzheimer's disease and reduce the severity of the disease among those who have it," Corker continued.

In addition, Corker indicated that electronic medical records, health savings accounts, common sense legal reforms, health insurance purchasing pools, and providing individuals the ability to deduct health insurance premiums from their taxes will help make quality healthcare more affordable and accessible for every Tennessean.

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