-- About 15 million people in the United States have morbid
obesity, but only 1 percent of the clinically eligible
population is treated for it through bariatric surgery. -- Obese
individuals spend 42 percent more on medical expenses and 77
percent more on medications per year than individuals of normal
weight. -- Direct obesity-related health spending reached $147
billion in 2008, double what it was a decade ago. It is
projected to cost the U.S. $344 billion each year by 2018.
Source: American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
October 1, 2011 Copyright 2011© LRP Publications