Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, Alzheimer’s Orange County and Alzheimer’s San Diego strongly condemn the passage of the budget reconciliation bill, H.R. 1. Older adults living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, as well as their family caregivers, will be hurt by the huge cuts to Medicaid and other critical programs on which our families rely.

Almost 1.4 million Californians are currently providing care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s and other dementias¹. Family caregivers are the key to enabling older adults to remain at home instead of moving to a nursing facility, providing over $50 billion in care without compensation². For those caregivers who rely on Medicaid for their own health care, this bill will be devastating. The hours they spend caring for their family members will NOT count towards meeting the new work reporting requirement. As a result, many will lose access to healthcare.

Caregivers who get their healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act will also be harmed because the bill changes the subsidies that make that coverage affordable. “Caring for a person with dementia takes a physical and mental toll. Without access to healthcare, both the caregivers’ own health and the well-being of the loved ones they care for will be compromised,” said Eugenia Welch, President and CEO of Alzheimer’s San Diego.

The ripple effects of these Medicaid cuts will almost certainly impact access to care as well- with longer emergency room wait times and the closure of local hospitals making it more difficult to find health care providers. Also at risk are home and community-based services, such as adult day care, that California may be forced to eliminate or reduce in the face of these devastating funding cuts. “Adult day programs can make the difference between families keeping their loved one at home or placing them in a more costly facility,” said Jim McAleer, President and CEO of Alzheimer’s Orange County.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most expensive disease in America. Care is already unaffordable for many with families spending thousands of dollars out of pocket on costs not covered by their health insurance provider. “Medicaid is the last safety net for many families. This bill only makes their situation worse by placing administrative barriers in the way of the benefits they are otherwise qualified to receive”, said Heather Cooper Ortner, President and CEO of Alzheimer’s Los Angeles. Communities will suffer. Families will suffer. People living with dementia and their families deserve so much better.

1. Alzheimer’s Association. 2025 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. Alzheimers Dement 2025;21(5).
2. Ibid.