Will a slimmer U.S. mean lower health care costs?
Much of the health-care reform talk on Capitol Hill right now is about cost savings. How can the amount of money spent on health care be reduced?
The authors of a study published online today say the answer could be in reducing obesity.
"There is an undeniable link between rising rates of obesity and rising medical spending," write the authors from the Reseach Triangle Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
They calculate that the cost of treating obesity and the disorders related to it may be as high as $147 billion a year, up from an estimate of $78.5 billion in 1998. Roughly half of that is financed by government spending through Medicare and Medicaid.
The proportion of all annual medical costs due to obesity increased from 6.5 percent in 1998 to 9.1 percent in 2006, according to the study, which is published in the journal Health Affairs. Overall, obese people spent $1,429 more for medical care in 2006 than did normal weight people -- that's 42 percent more.
Most of the money isn't being spent to treat obesity itself. Instead, the costs are almost all a result of costs generated from treating the diseases obesity promotes.
If people slim down, maybe the ballooning costs of health care will as well, they say.
"The take-home message is that without a strong and sustained reduction in obesity prevalence, obesity willl continue to impose major costs on the health system for the foreseeable future," the authors conclude. "And although health reform may be necessary to address health inequities and rein in rising health spending, real savings are more likely to be achieved through reforms that reduce the prevalence of obesity and related risk factors, including poor diet and inactivity."
The study was presented at the CDC's Weight of the Nation Conference today in Washington, D.C.
Photo via AFP/Getty Images
Comments
In case the health care reform provides the general public with peace of mind, the rising mental stress or illness caused by financial instability may bend the curve surprisingly,
in combination with kicking out the 'keep eating habit' to forget the deep-seated instability and apprehension, I guess.
'Work or Break' health system with no brake or safety system might be one of the biggest hidden causes of mental stress, obesity or overweight threatening the overall economy, I cautiously suppose.
Posted by: hsr0601 | July 27, 2009 2:50 PM
How can America reduce the $147 billion spent each year “treating the diseases that obesity promotes”?
* More bariatric surgeries?
* Modify the current taxes/subsidies applied to food production/distribution?
* Mandatory P.E. in all schools?
* Community fitness initiatives?
* Massive PR campaign designed to shame the lazy & praise the physically fit
* Tax breaks for Pharma research into obesity treatments
* Mandatory military bootcamps
Amphetamines added to the water supply (sorry, Coca-Cola supply is more appropriate)
Posted by: DR | July 27, 2009 3:03 PM
The article refers to medical costs while ignoring the related costs of lost productivity etc. that were included when figuring the cost of smoking. Include all related costs to let people know the real cost of obesity. And, start taxing the sugar and junk food at the same rate as tobaco. What's good for a few smokers should be good for the majority obese in the country. Let them be taxed for their health care.
Posted by: WEY | July 27, 2009 6:35 PM
The health care industry will surely eat up (no pun intended) any savings a healthier society produces. Just as we consistently buy more efficient appliances, turn down the thermostats and replace our windows but the utility bills keep on rising.
Posted by: wheelburr | July 27, 2009 10:41 PM
These computations that supposedly tally the annual cost for obesity have one salient, gaping flaw. They don't take into account the fact that folks with long life-spans usually cost the system more due to needing more prescription drugs, orthopedic surgeries, geriatric care, long term car, etc. In fact, one group of dutch researchers concluded that reducing obesity would likely INCREASE healthcare costs. Read it for yourself.
http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050029
More money can probably be saved by ending hysteria over obesity than going overboard with fat taxes, increased physical education, and other nanny-state initiatives.
Posted by: Reality Check | August 2, 2009 3:12 PM