Just a matter of time before a Dx for Alzheimer's is approved...

U.S. approves Medicare coverage for lung cancer screening

"NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators on Thursday approved Medicare coverage for lung cancer screening by low-dose CT, the first time the government health insurance program for the elderly and disabled will pay for such a program of early detection in an effort to save lives ."

"In a statement, CMS chief medical officer Dr. Patrick Conway called the decision to pay for a once-a-year screening an important new Medicare preventive benefit since lung cancer is the third most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States."

The usually-incurable disease will kill about 158,000 people in the U.S. this year, according to the American Cancer Society; 221,200 cases will be diagnosed."

http://news.yahoo.com/u-approves-medicare-cov...04215.html


"Alzheimer's disease is the most expensive condition in the nation."

"Alzheimer's disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States."

"There are approximately 500,000 people dying each year because they have Alzheimer's."

http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_facts_and_figures.asp