Obesity Costs Us $147 Million a Year!

A study released Monday said the medical costs of treating obesity-related diseases could reach $147 billion dollars (read press release here). This number has grown substantially from the $117 billion a year in 2000 when the Surgeon General testified in front of Congress on the topic.

The study published by Health Affairs said obesity currently accounts for 9.1 percent of all medical spending, up from 6.5% in 1998. That means almost 1 dollar out of every 10 of all medical spending in this country goes to treating obesity. This number is even higher when you consider the treatment of diabetes ($191 billion a year) and the absenteeism and lack of productivity cause by obesity.

Per capita medical spending for obese individuals was $1,429 dollars more each year than those of normal people. For those that don't believe this a correlation between higher medical care costs and higher obesity rates, think again.

There is a huge debate currently taking place about what is the best model for insurance- public vs. private. This study this is the wrong debate- whether our insurance plan is public or private we will still be an obese country. We must focus on getting people to be healthy because that will lower our costs, instead of bickering about whether a public or private plan is best.

The study also showed that obesity rates grew 37% percent between 1996 and 2006! In only 10 years we have become much much more obese as a country. It also showed that on average we now consume 250 more calories a day than we did 10 years ago. Thats one extra donut, one extra soda or one extra ice cream cone.

If you consumed 250 more calories a day that would equal 26 pounds of weight gain a year! Over a ten year time frame that would be 260 pounds! When looked at in that light it is pretty easy to see how our obesity rate has increased almost 40%.

While I believe individuals should be held responsible for what they put into their bodies as well as the choices the make we as a society have to make it easier and cheaper for people to eat healthy. Fast and junk food are now the most convenient and cheapest options. So obviously that is what most people will choose.

Why is it that you can pay 30 cents more at McDonalds for 10 more ounces of soda and double the french fries, but when you try to get fruit or vegetables you have to pay a couple dollars?

We can provide healthy food for cheaper. It is just a matter of priorities. Instead of subsidizing the corn and soybean industries that inundate us with high fructose corn syrup and unhealthy fats our government should make fruit and vegetables inexpensive and readily available. Instead of allowing fast-food restaurants to serve us hamburgers that have more fat than a stick of butter, our government should require them to serve healthier menu options.

The bottom-line is that we must engineer society so that we make it easier for people to eat healthy and be active. When do this we will be much closer to solving the obesity epidemic that costs each US money.