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Price tag of obesity-related disease: $93 billion a year
Friday, May 16, 2003 May 15, 2003 Obesity has become very expensive. As reported today by National Public Radio, The Washington Post, and USA TODAY, Americans are paying a hefty sum for the health problems of the obese. A Health and Human Services-sponsored study appearing in the Journal of Health Affairs shows that the treatment of obesity-related diseases costs America dearly: $93 billion annually, comparable to the financial toll of smoking-related disease. In fact, an obese person annually costs $700 more in healthcare costs than a non-obese person. And when Medicare is involved, the taxpayer pays 50% of this cost, making obesity a very public issue. Federal statistics show more than half of all Americans are overweight or obese, an increase of more than 70 percent over the past decade. In fact, the FAA says Americans are about 20 pounds heavier than they used to be and for safety reasons airlines must raise their estimated weight per passenger
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