America’s struggle with obesity is costing the nation and individuals considerable money.

 

Nationally, about 10% of all medical expenses, or $147 billion, are produced by people who are overweight. That rate could climb to 18% by 2030, according to a new report from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services’ Department of Health Policy.

 

Individually, the annual added cost of being obese is estimated to be $4,879 for women and $2,646 for men. When the “value of lost life due to premature mortality” is factored in, the totals go up to $8,365 for women and $6,518 for men. These figures include such factors as medical costs, sick leave, short-term disability and increased cost of life insurance. It is also estimated that obese men pay an extra $23 a year for gasoline and obese women $21.

 

The report notes that these estimates may be low because they do not take into account “consumer-related costs, such as clothing, air travel, automobile size or furniture.”

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

First-Ever Report on the Individual Cost of Obesity Unveiled (George Washington University Medical Center)

A Heavy Burden: The Individual Costs of Being Overweight and Obese in the United States (by Avi Dor, Christine Ferguson, Casey Langwith, Ellen Tan, George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy) (pdf)