HB4548 Summary

• Updates the Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Act to broaden focus from Alzheimer's disease alone to include all forms of dementia and related disorders.

• Increases the Alzheimer's Disease Advisory Committee from 21 to 23 voting members and adds representatives from supportive living facilities, home care agencies, hospice, law enforcement, individuals with early-stage Alzheimer's, and advocacy organizations.

• Requires the Department of Public Health to prepare a comprehensive State Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Plan by January 1, 2014 (updated from 1987) that includes public hearings, online surveys, and stakeholder input on disease impact, existing services, economic costs, and policy recommendations.

• Updates prevalence statistics from 4.5 million to 5.4 million Americans affected by Alzheimer's disease and projects Illinois cases to reach 240,000 by 2025.

• Establishes that Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death nationally and fifth for those aged 65 and older, and recognizes that Medicaid costs for individuals with Alzheimer's are 9 times higher than costs for those without the disease.