Increased Medical Costs

It is clear that being obese and unhealthy will lead to health complications and life-threatening diseases and thus follow into higher medical costs for the person, the insurance providers, and possibly the government (taxpayers). Some of these diseases such as, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and stroke all carry large price tags. These costs will not only apply to the overweight individual, but also to the society as a whole. Medical costs associated with obesity are also higher than people with complications from smoking, drinking, and general aging. A study was conducted at Kaiser Permanante in Oregon where they followed a group of 1, 286 subjects that were grouped into those who were healthy, overweight, or obese. They were followed for nine years to see what groups racked up the highest amount of costs with inpatient and outpatient care and prescriptions. The obese had 36% higher average annual healthcare costs than the healthy-weight group.  The overweight group had 37% higher prescription costs and 13% higher primary-care costs than the healthy subjects. . If obesity did not exist, private sector insurance would not bear nearly as many costs as they do currently and public sector (Medicare/Medicaid) would be spending 8.5%-11.8% less. Conclusively, unhealthy and obese people tend to pay more in medical costs than the average healthy person.

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Medical Cost Information
Hammond, Ross A., and Ruth Levine. "The Economic Impact of Obesity in the United States." Dove Press (2010): 285-95. Brookings.edu. Dove Medical Press Ltd, 17 Aug. 2010. Web. 3 May 2012.