Obesity costs US health system $147 billion: study

[Moby]

It brings up he question of whether or not Obese People should pay higher group rates for insurance.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE56Q36020090727

Full SizeBy Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10 percent of all medical spending in the United States or an estimated $147 billion a year, U.S. researchers said Monday.

They said obese people spend 40 percent more -- or $1,429 more per year -- in healthcare costs than people of normal weight.

"It is critical that we take effective steps to contain and reduce the enormous burden of obesity on our nation," Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a news conference at a CDC obesity meeting where the study was presented.

"Reversing obesity is not going to be done successfully with individual effort," Frieden said. "It will be done successfully as a society."

The CDC outlined 24 new recommendations on how communities can combat obesity in their neighborhoods and schools by encouraging healthier eating and more exercise.

Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee and chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Foresty, said the report underscores why prevention and wellness efforts must be part of any plan to reform the U.S. health system.

"Report after report shows that if we fail to take meaningful steps now on prevention of chronic disease like obesity, healthcare costs will continue to spiral out of control," Harkin said in a statement.

26 PERCENT OBESITY RATE IN U.S.

More than 26 percent of Americans are obese, which means they have a body mass index of 30 or higher. BMI is equal to weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. A person 5 feet 5 inches tall becomes obese at 180 pounds (82 kg).

For the study, Eric Finkelstein of the non-profit RTI International and researchers at the CDC and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality analyzed medical cost data from 1998 and 2006.

They found U.S. obesity rates rose 37 percent between 1998 and 2006, driving an 89 percent increase in spending on treatments for obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.

Obesity now accounts for 9.1 percent of all medical spending in the United States, up from 6.5 percent in 1998.

"What we found was the total cost of obesity increased from $74 billion to maybe as high as $147 billion today, so roughly double over that time period," said Finkelstein, whose study also was published in the journal Health Affairs.

An obese Medicare beneficiary spends $600 more a year on drug costs than a Medicare patient of healthy weight.

The CDC's new obesity prevention strategies aim to address issues such as a lack of access to healthy food in poor neighborhoods and sedentary lifestyles that contribute to America's obesity epidemic. Continued...

[MintJulep]

It brings up he question of whether or not Obese People should pay higher group rates for insurance.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE56Q36020090727 For individual policies, they already do. If an obese person applies for individual insurance and is approved, they are rated up on their premiums for obesity.

[Independent Harry]

But not for group policies. Those damn socialist health insurance companies, making employers and other employees pay for other people's personal choices...

[MintJulep]

But not for group policies. Those damn socialist health insurance companies, making employers and other employees pay for other people's personal choices...The government does not control health insurance companies.

[Independent Harry]

The government does not control health insurance companies.

lol, are you that daft. In a socialist system, everyone pays for everyone else regardless of personal choices. That is how group health insurance is set up by the health insurance companies. The health insurance companies are using a socialist system on a company size scale to pay for your fellow co-workers obesity, or bad eating habits or bad lifestyle habits...

[doctordog]

But not for group policies. Those damn socialist health insurance companies, making employers and other employees pay for other people's personal choices...

this is true, they are never drug screened to see what harmful habits they have. I will be honest and say I am a big guy, my blood pressure, sugar , cholesterol are all in check but I am overweight. I don't feel like I should pay any more than someone that smokes weed, takes depression drugs, goes to the tanning bed, or even spends a great deal of time in the sun.

[MintJulep]

lol, are you that daft. In a socialist system, everyone pays for everyone else regardless of personal choices. That is how group health insurance is set up by the health insurance companies. The health insurance companies are using a socialist system on a company size scale to pay for your fellow co-workers obesity, or bad eating habits or bad lifestyle habits...As long as high quality care remains intact, I don't much care. If I were forced to have my healthcare administered from a collective shithole--as a govt run system would be-- as a result, it would be a different story.

[Independent Harry]

this is true, they are never drug screened to see what harmful habits they have. I will be honest and say I am a big guy, my blood pressure, sugar , cholesterol are all in check but I am overweight. I don't feel like I should pay any more than someone that smokes weed, takes depression drugs, goes to the tanning bed, or even spends a great deal of time in the sun.

Even though you are overweight and everything checks out now, statistically you will cost the insurance companies more as you get older and older simply because you will start to have issues if you stay overwieght. So you should pay more. Why should I have to pay for your poor diet choices?

[Independent Harry]

As long as high quality care remains intact, I don't much care. If I were forced to have my healthcare administered from a collective shithole--as a govt run system would be-- as a result, it would be a different story.

wow, that's amazing. So you are ok with one socialist system, but not another. I see your programming doesn't allow you to grasp such a simple concept...oh well...

[MintJulep]

wow, that's amazing. So you are ok with one socialist system, but not another. I see your programming doesn't allow you to grasp such a simple concept...oh well...Yeah, that's pretty much it. I'll take private industry "socialism" over govt shithole socialism any day. I've seen the DMV and I don't plan to have my healthcare administered in the same piss poor, low quality way.

[doctordog]

Even though you are overweight and everything checks out now, statistically you will cost the insurance companies more as you get older and older simply because you will start to have issues if you stay overwieght. So you should pay more. Why should I have to pay for your poor diet choices?

Why should I have to pay for people that fuck up their lungs, skin, or other based on their choices? My mother was 5'2 and 112 pounds, she died at 61 from cancer of the spine and didn't smoke and had no existing conditions. The generalizations would mean something if they were accurate.

My dad is 64 and is built like me, he get one check up per year, so how are we costing you more?

[Independent Harry]

Why should I have to pay for people that fuck up their lungs, skin, or other based on their choices? My mother was 5'2 and 112 pounds, she died at 61 from cancer of the spine and didn't smoke and had no existing conditions. The generalizations would mean something if they were accurate.

There are always statistical abnormalities, and you shouldn't have to pay for people who smoke and make other bad personal decisions. You should have to pay for your bad personal decisions and they should have to pay for theirs. Someone like me, who eats almost completely raw, works out 6 days a week, runs, and lives a mentally healthy lifestyle shouldn't have to pay for other people's lack of personal discipline.

So you pay for your lack of discipline, they pay for theirs. So why should you get a break, if you dont' feel those people should?

[Independent Harry]

Yeah, that's pretty much it. I'll take private industry "socialism" over govt shithole socialism any day. I've seen the DMV and I don't plan to have my healthcare administered in the same piss poor, low quality way.

really, you been to the DMV lately? Everytime I've gone to the DMV these days i've been in and out extremely quickly. The personel there have always been cheerful, have given me great customer service and have been very efficient in getting my issues taken care of.

[doctordog]

There are always statistical abnormalities, and you shouldn't have to pay for people who smoke and make other bad personal decisions. You should have to pay for your bad personal decisions and they should have to pay for theirs. Someone like me, who eats almost completely raw, works out 6 days a week, runs, and lives a mentally healthy lifestyle shouldn't have to pay for other people's lack of personal discipline.

So you pay for your lack of discipline, they pay for theirs. So why should you get a break, if you dont' feel those people should?

OK Harry, I am willing to pay for mine, so why shoudl I be taxed to pay for UHC and what gives Obama the right to fuck up my healthcare in the name of others?

[doctordog]

There are always statistical abnormalities, and you shouldn't have to pay for people who smoke and make other bad personal decisions. You should have to pay for your bad personal decisions and they should have to pay for theirs. Someone like me, who eats almost completely raw, works out 6 days a week, runs, and lives a mentally healthy lifestyle shouldn't have to pay for other people's lack of personal discipline.

So you pay for your lack of discipline, they pay for theirs. So why should you get a break, if you dont' feel those people should?

Lack of discipline my ass, I used to work out 5 days per week and eat less, I weighed exactly 25 lbs. less than I do now. I did for 6 years and weighed 25 lbs less than I do now. I was stronger but almost as big. I now have career that doesn't afford me that kind of time.

[Independent Harry]

OK Harry, I am willing to pay for mine, so why shoudl I be taxed to pay for UHC and what gives Obama the right to fuck up my healthcare in the name of others?

But you weren't willing to pay for yours a second ago, and you also had the audacity to say you wanted other people who made different poor personal choices to pay for theirs. UHC doesn't have to be across the board everyoen pays the same. It could be set up that people pay for poor personal choices just as individual policies are. Except the government doesn't have to pay out massive profits to company shareholders and CEO's. Now anything that gets put into the system can go right back to the people.

Btw, Health insurance is the only insurance I believe government should handle. Everything else is very straighforward. But with the way health insurance companies are screwing individual policies and even some group policies. They either need to be reigned in or have that privelege to do business taken away from them...

[MintJulep]

really, you been to the DMV lately? Everytime I've gone to the DMV these days i've been in and out extremely quickly. The personel there have always been cheerful, have given me great customer service and have been very efficient in getting my issues taken care of.Your DMV is the exception and not the rule as most are long-lined, poor service shitholes. That's fine for the DMV, but not for the doctor's office.

[MintJulep]

Even though you are overweight and everything checks out now, statistically you will cost the insurance companies more as you get older and older simply because you will start to have issues if you stay overwieght. So you should pay more. Why should I have to pay for your poor diet choices?People in group plans pay for any and all conditions, and "obesity" in and of itself, is but a drop in the bucket. Diabetes, pulmonary and other chronic conditions are much more costly.

[Independent Harry]

Your DMV is the exception and not the rule as most are long-lined, poor service shitholes. That's fine for the DMV, but not for the doctor's office.

I've been to DMV's in several different states, as I have lived in Maryland, Mass and California. I found that to be the rule in most DMV's I went to.

[doctordog]

But you weren't willing to pay for yours a second ago, and you also had the audacity to say you wanted other people who made different poor personal choices to pay for theirs. UHC doesn't have to be across the board everyoen pays the same. It could be set up that people pay for poor personal choices just as individual policies are. Except the government doesn't have to pay out massive profits to company shareholders and CEO's. Now anything that gets put into the system can go right back to the people.

Btw, Health insurance is the only insurance I believe government should handle. Everything else is very straighforward. But with the way health insurance companies are screwing individual policies and even some group policies. They either need to be reigned in or have that privelege to do business taken away from them...

See, I am paying mine now so your theory about how UHC could be does not me feel better about it. I have a good plan and budget the cost into my income just like everyone else can.

[MintJulep]

If your idea of "high quality" is the Dept of Motor Vehicles, then I don't know what to say except you have low standards. I've seen it and don't want that type of "quality" for my healthcare.

[Independent Harry]

If your idea of "high quality" is the Dept of Motor Vehicles, then I don't know what to say except you have low standards. I've seen it and don't want that type of "quality" for my healthcare.

i didn't say it was high quality. But I've spent less time inthe DMV than on the phone with AT&T trying to get service from them. To say government is always less efficient than business is just flat out wrong. There are inneficiencies built into both systems. Some are glaring in one way and some in the other. To balance the two one must be open to new ideas...

[doctordog]

i didn't say it was high quality. But I've spent less time inthe DMV than on the phone with AT&T trying to get service from them. To say government is always less efficient than business is just flat out wrong. There are inneficiencies built into both systems. Some are glaring in one way and some in the other. To balance the two one must be open to new ideas...

Try to talking to the IRS about a claim against your taxes from 5 years ago. I would rather have a colonoscopy.

[Independent Harry]

Try to talking to the IRS about a claim against your taxes from 5 years ago. I would rather have a colonoscopy.

For a system that manages 300 million people, they are quite good at finding the money. But yes, I understand your point. I don' tthink its so much the organization thats completely ineficient as the actual tax code that's the real issue.