Behavior Change and Health News
Health Spending for Obesity Increases Tenfold
New research shows the high cost of obesity in the United States. Private insurance dollars spent on treating diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, and other weight-related diseases have increased more than tenfold since 1987. Businesses and governments interested in controlling total health care spending should find ways to prevent obesity, the study authors suggest.
According to Kenneth Thorpe and colleagues, in 1987 employers and individuals spent $3.6 billion on illnesses related to obesity, with such expenses making up 2% of total health care spending for that year. That figure jumped to $36.5 billion, equal to 11.6% of total spending, in 2002. It cost $1,244 more to treat an obese person than a person of a healthy weight in 2002. In 1987, the difference was just $272.
Cost to business and individuals
Thorpe’s research adds to the evidence that obesity affects everyone, not just those who have the condition. In a special report for Health & Productivity Management in October 2004, LuAnn Heinen described the dollar and productivity costs of treating illnesses related to obesity for business. She reported that at least 8% of private employer medical claims can be linked to health claims caused by excess weight. That means that a business with 200 employees would pay $159,200 every year for health problems related to obesity. But these costs are not inevitable. Because many of the medical issues caused by overweight and obesity are preventable, some of the associated costs can be avoided.
Adding to the direct medical costs that can be traced to specific people or groups, employers and individuals pay into Medicare through payroll taxes, and to Medicaid through income taxes. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published in 2003 reported that medical bills related to body weight in 1998 were $75 billion. Medicare or Medicaid covers half of that cost.
Excess weight affects productivity as well. A report last year in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine described several negative effects, including lower health status, more work absences, problem relationships at work, and high individual healthcare costs.
Call to action
Business, community leaders, individuals, and government agencies all have an interest in reducing health costs related to obesity. Thorpe feels that many current efforts don’t address the problem. “Companies are tweaking co-pays and talking about health care savings accounts when really they need to redirect their focus to reduce the prevalence of obesity among children and workers,” he states. As serious as the obesity problem is now, it could get worse. A 2001 Surgeon General’s report estimates that one in 3 children born in 2000 will develop diabetes from being overweight if current trends continue.
Many programs have been successful in reducing smoking rates in the US, and similar plans may help curtail the problems of overweight and obesity. Programs to deal with poor eating habits and physical inactivity may help to control health costs. A study in Preventive Medicine in 2003 showed that men over 50 years old who became more active had significant declines in annual medical claims.
Active Living Every Day and Healthy Eating Every Day are Active Living Partners programs backed by research and experience. They teach behavior change skills that allow adults to identify their barriers to healthy living and find practical strategies that help them improve their health. Organizations and individuals use Active Living Partners programs to fight physical inactivity and poor eating habits. Please contact Active Living Partners to learn more about how you can offer behavior change programs that work. Call 800-747-4457 ext. 2226, send an e-mail to michelleo@hkusa.com, or visit our Web site at www.ActiveLiving.info.
Sources Hellmich, Nanci. Health Spending Soars for Obesity. USA Today June 27, 2005. www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-06-26-health-spending-obesity_x.htm
Thorpe, Kenneth E., et al. The Rising Prevalence of Treated Disease: Effects on Private Health Insurance Spending. Health Affairs June 27, 2005. content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.w5.317
Finkelstein, Eric A., Ian C. Fiebelkorn and Guijing Wang. National Medical Spending Attributable to Overweight and Obesity: How Much, And Who’s Paying? Health Affairs May 14, 2003. content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w3.219v1/DC1
Heinen, LuAnn. Special Issue—Obesity. Health & Productivity Management Special Edition Vol 1, No 2. October 2004. www.businessgrouphealth.org/pdfs/us_employers_obesitycosts.pdf
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