Obesity Rise Costing Medicaid More

The number of obese Americans has tripled since 1960, with over 100 million Americans now considered obese or morbidly obese. This increase in weight has had a wide ranging impact on a number of different aspects of daily life, including the rising cost of healthcare. This increased cost is affecting not only the obese, but also employers, workers, and taxpayers who are forced to foot the bill for the increase costs in Medicaid and health care premiums.

According to a recently published study, the average obese man incurs an additional $1,152 in medical costs per year than a non-obese man. An obese woman, on the other hand, incurs an additional $3,613 a year in health-care costs. The average spending on medical costs for non-obese person per year is about $512, while an obese person spends an average of $3,271.

The additional $190 billion a year spent on health care cots incurred by the obese accounts for almost 21% of all the money spent in the United States on health care.

This increase in medical expenditures also impacts those who are not obese. The recently published study on obesity shows that the average obese man causes an additional $967 a year in either higher taxes for Medicaid coverage or higher health insurance premiums. These costs are absorbed by both the obese and the non-obese alike. The average obese woman, on the other hand, raises these “third party” expenditures by $3,220 per year.