MEDICAL RESEARCH U.S. spent $75 billion on health care linked to obesity, study finds

Through Medicare and Medicaid, taxpayers footed half the bill.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
PHILADELPHIA -- How much does it cost to treat obesity-related ailments?
The United States spent an estimated $75 billion last year on medical expenses related to obesity, such as drugs, doctor visits and hospitalizations, according to a new study published this month in the journal Obesity Research.
And taxpayers paid half the bill through the government's Medicare and Medicaid health programs.
In Pennsylvania, about $4.1 billion was spent last year on obesity-related medical costs.
In New Jersey, the amount was about $2.3 billion.
Chronic diseases
"The report is alarming, given that obesity has been shown to promote many chronic diseases," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which provided funding for the research. "The long-term effects of obesity on our nation's health and on our economy should not be underestimated."
Although other studies have estimated the national costs of obesity, the new research was the first to examine the economic impact of obesity on the state level.
The findings indicated obesity-related health problems accounted for 5.7 percent of the nation's total medical expenses. The highest state percentage for annual expenditures was 6.7 percent in Alaska; the lowest was 4 percent in Arizona.
Other costs
The study did not calculate other costs related to obesity such as lost time from work.
"We need to continue to mobilize resources. This is a huge problem," said Lisa Bailey-Davis, cardiovascular health section chief for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which receives a $649,000 annual CDC grant for obesity prevention programs. "The report is very important and gives another piece of the puzzle when we are looking at the entire obesity problem."
Celeste Wood, an assistant commissioner in the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, said: "$2.3 billion is a lot of money, which is attributable to a condition that oftentimes can be prevented. We need to improve people's perceptions of what is healthy."
About 30 percent of American adults are considered obese.
Comparison study
The study calculated obesity-related costs as the difference between the annual medical expenses between obese individuals and normal-weight people. The researchers culled data from government health surveys between 1998 and 2000.
Because people tend to underreport their weight in surveys, the $75 billion figure may be conservative, said Eric Finkelstein, the study's lead author and a health economist at RTI International, a nonprofit research group based in Raleigh, N.C.
The study revealed that obesity-related costs were about 10 percent, or $21.3 billion, of total expenses for Medicaid, the government's health program for low-income Americans.
The findings showed that the costs represented about 6.8 percent, or $17.7 billion, of expenses for Medicare, a government health program for senior citizens and disabled individuals.
Policy-making
"When you see this information, you want to see how you can reduce the costs," said Shiriki K. Kumanyika, a University of Pennsylvania epidemiology professor and obesity expert.
Although the public has become aware of obesity as a major public health problem, she said, "I don't think the serious policy-making has really started." People need to "get deep" into issues, including food pricing and advertising, she said.