Obesity Costs

Medical costs of obesity are double what we thought. Since we all pay, more or less, the same amount depending on what type of insurance we have, those costs are shared by those who are overweight as well as those who aren't. It is estimated that it costs about $168 billion each year to treat obesity - about 16.5% of our country's TOTAL medical costs. These numbers were determined after careful study of all aspects of the problem - some areas that were overlooked in previous estimates according to Cornell health economist John Cawley. Included was the chronic under-reporting of accurate weight since most research depends of self reporting of weight. Also taken into consideration were the casual effects of obesity in addition to actual costs. This means that there are costs are incurred for conditions such as back problems, general surgery, and gynocological problems that are made much worse by obesity.

Since nearly 2/3 of Americans are considered obese it stands to reason that the cost is incurred by all of these folks - not the case. It seems that the skyrocketing costs of medical care is driven by a small percentage of highly obese individuals - those referred to as morbidly obese. These are the folks that are more likely to engage in desparate measures such as surgery to decrease stomach capacity (stomach stapling, surgery, balloon insertion etc).

In this climate of health care cost concerns it seems that more conversation needs to be focused on those preventable conditions which are clearly contributing to the cost. We can all do our part in improving our little corner of the world by taking those steps (one at a time) toward health. I challenge you to do what you can do to make needed changes and improve your health.

• Eat more fruits, vegetables
• Choose whole grains
• Limit fat and calories(portions)
• Move whenever you can

Happy, Healthy Eating,

Marcia