You may have already noticed. There is a new awareness about obesity buzzing around us. It’s on the news. It’s in the newspaper. And thankfully soon it will be in the doctor’s offices and schools.
Last Tuesday Michelle Obama announced her campaign to fight childhood obesity. It’s a much needed campaign as the scary facts state that as a nation, we are getting fatter each year. We should already know the side effects of being overweight, including an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, which is significantly higher in those who are obese. In addition, there are hundreds of other health problems that can affect our overweight population.
Until now, no one has discussed how much money is being spent on obesity.
At an event to kick off the fight against childhood obesity, the Michelle Obama said, “Economic experts tell us that we are spending outrageous amounts of money treating obesity-related conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.”
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with a not for profit research group called RTI International, found that the direct and indirect cost of obesity “is as high as $147 billion annually.”
The study collected data in 2006, and found that obese patients spent an average $1,429 more for their medical care than did people within a normal weight range. It works out to be a 42 percent higher health care cost for people who are obese.
The CDC study found that Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers increased spending due to obesity from 6.5 percent in 1998 to 9.1 percent in 2006. The figure includes prescription drug costs.
Health Affairs, a medical journal, found that the costs of hospitalizations related to childhood obesity rose from $125.9 million in 2001 to $237.6 million in 2005.
Bottom Line: Lose weight and every American wins. America spends as much as $147 billion annually on the direct and indirect costs of obesity, and if every single person took responsibility for their own weight management we could potentially save billions of dollars each year.
SOURCE: http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/health/healthy_living/fact-check:-the-cost-of-obesity
SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/09/fact.check.obesity/index.html