Project Grant R01AG091586

The National Institute on Aging awarded The Regents of The University of Colorado, doing business as University of Colorado-Denver, $669,195 on September 1, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to investigate financial toxicity and cognitive impairment in Medicare Advantage enrollees with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

The research team will leverage and expand a unique data linkage of Medicare claims and consumer credit records to examine financial burden in Medicare Advantage populations, extending prior work conducted in traditional Medicare that demonstrated impaired financial behavior begins nearly a decade before clinical recognition of Alzheimer's disease. The project addresses a gap in understanding how Medicare Advantage's benefit design, network structure, and financial literacy profiles shape financial outcomes for beneficiaries with cognitive impairment, particularly as Medicare Advantage now covers more than 50 percent of the Medicare population.

The research will be conducted by an expert team of economists, health services researchers, and geriatricians at University of Colorado-Denver in Colorado. The period of performance runs through May 31, 2031.