(CNN)Hillary Clinton will roll out a plan to combat Alzheimer's disease in Fairfield, Iowa, on Tuesday, pledging to spend $2 billion annually to fight the disease and research a cure, according to a Clinton aide.
Clinton, who aides said consulted with leading physicians and scientists to develop the plan, will set a goal of making a cure of Alzheimer's a reality by 2025.
"We owe it to the millions of families who stay up at night worrying about their loved ones afflicted by this terrible disease and facing the hard reality of the long goodbye to make research investments that will prevent, effectively treat and make a cure possible by 2025," Clinton said.
"The best scientific minds tell us we have a real chance to make groundbreaking progress on curing this disease and relieving the pain so many families feel every day. My plan will set us on that course," she added.
The proposal would be paid for by tax reform proposals and other savings, the aide added.
There are currently 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's, according to the Alzheimer's Association, with that number expected to grow to nearly 15 million by 2050.
Clinton's $2 billion number is not random, according to aides. The research advisory council to the congressionally backed National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease have said $2 billion a year could make a cure possible by 2025.
Alzheimer's disease is not a new area of interest for Clinton. During her eight years in the Senate, Clinton co-chaired the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's disease.
Clinton will spend Tuesday campaigning in Iowa, her last day on the trail before spending Christmas in New York. Clinton will start her day with an event in Keota, Iowa, a small-town of roughly 900 people that won a Clinton visit after students from the local high school repeatedly invited her.
By Dan Merica
Updated 1258 GMT (2058 HKT) December 22, 2015
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/22/politics/hillary-clinton-alzheimers-cure/
