FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Skip Navigational Links.
Food & Ingredients | Educ. Serv. | Tech Serv. | Market Serv. | E-Commerce Serv.
Food Resource (Home)
Be descriptive for better search results.
Does obesity add to health-care costs? to Top


Overall, employers and privately insured families spent $36.5 billion on obesity-linked illnesses in 2002, up from an inflation -adjusted $3.6 billion in 1987. That's up from 2% of total health care spending on obesity in 1987 to 11.6 in 2002, the latest year for which data are available.


The data in the above was an analysis of 14,000 people from 1987 to 2002. The data included health care spending, medical conditions and trips to the doctor, hospital and pharmacy. Findings were as follows:
  • The percentage of obese people being treated for high cholesterol, mental disorders and upper gastrointestinal disorders increased 10 percentage points.
  • The increase in adult-onset diabetes contributed to a 64% rise in diabetes treatment from 1987 to2002.
  • About 25% of the extremely obese (80 or more pounds overweight) were being treated for six or more conditions in 2002, compared with 14% in 1987.
Thorpes above analysis adds to growing eviedence that extra pounds increase medical costs. A studty last year by RTI International in Raleigh, N.C., and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that obese and overweight Americans racked up about $75 billion in weight-related medical bills in 2003. Because much of this is covered by Medicare and Medicaid, taxpayers pay about half the total, the study found.

Hellmich, Nanci. 2005, June 27. Health spending soars for obesity. USA TODAY, p. A1.

Updated: Saturday, December 29, 2007.

Oregon State University.
OSU Disclaimer.