Obesity now accounts for 9.1% of all medical spending, up from
6.5% in 1998. An obese person spends $1,429 per year more on
medical costs, or about 42% more, than someone of healthy
weight. Costs for an obese Medicare recipient are even greater.
Obesity will continue to impose a significant burden on the
health care system as long as the prevalence of obesity remains
high. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC), in 2005-2008, the prevalence of obesity was 33.9% among
adults age 20-74, up from 31.2% during 2001-04. With government
cost cutting (including Medicare and Medicaid) on the table, the
pressure to address obesity-related healthcare costs can only
increase. There is one simple reason for the rise in obesity:
people take in more calories than they need, leaving them with
excess calories stored as fat. Obesity trends mirror the rise in
individual calorie intake, a trend that has only recently begun
to reverse itself. The number of calories consumed has increased
from 2,169 in 1970 t