U.S. House passes Benishek Alzheimer’s research measure

The House of Representatives has unanimously passed a measure from Congressman Dan Benishek to increase funding for research into Alzheimer’s disease.

Benishek’s measure was an amendment to HR 4870, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2015. The amendment would increase funding to the Defense Health Program by $2 million for Alzheimer’s research. The full House passed the amendment Wednesday night.

The Alzheimer’s Association says that about 170,000 people in Michigan are living with Alzheimer’s disease and that the number will rise to 220,000 by 2025. According to the group, the disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and one-third of all seniors who die in any given year have been diagnosed with either Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.