Q: What is the cost of obesity?
A: On average, people who are considered obese pay $1,429 (42 percent) more in health care costs than normal-weight individuals.[12]
What is the cost of obesity by insurance status?
A: For each obese beneficiary:
* Medicare pays $1,723 more than it pays for normal-weight beneficiaries.
* Medicaid pays $1,021 more than it pays for normal-weight beneficiaries.
* Private insurers pay $1,140 more than they pay for normal-weight beneficiaries.[12]
What is the cost of obesity by the type of service provided?
A: For each obese patient:
* Medicare pays $95 more for an inpatient service, $693 more for a non-inpatient service, and $608 more for prescription drugs in comparison with normal-weight patients.
* Medicaid pays $213 more for an inpatient service,$175 more for a non-inpatient service, and $230 more for prescription drugs in comparison with normal-weight patients.
* Private insurers pay $443 more for an inpatient service, $398 more for a non-inpatient service, and $284 more for prescription drugs in comparison with normal-weight patients.[12]
source:
http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/index.htm
Q: How many adults age 20 and older are overweight or obese (Body Mass Index, or BMI, > 25)?
A: Over two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.[4]
All adults: 68 percent
Women: 64.1 percent
Men: 72.3 percent
Thats alot of people... and there are 305,689,000 americans, 68% of that is 207 868 520 americans overweight.
thats $297 044 115 080 more spent on health care for people that are obese... That is a lot of money
$ 297.04411508 billion (US dollars)
http://berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/...6/smoking.html
compared to $72.7 Billion spent on tobacco related illnesses, I think obesity is a way bigger problem...
Now think of the possibilities that extra money can be spent on, help ending poverty?