The Impact Of Obesity On Rising Medical Spending

• DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.w4.480
• Publication Date: 2004-10-21T00:13:19Z
• Authors: Kenneth E. Thorpe; Curtis S. Florence; David H. Howard; Peter Joski
• Keywords: Health spending; Consumption

Obese people incur higher health care costs at a given point in time, but how rising obesity rates affect spending growth over time is unknown. We estimate obesity-attributable increases between 1987 and 2001. Increases the proportion of on obese relative to normal weight account for 27 percent rise inflation-adjusted per capita 2001; diabetes, 38 percent; hyperlipidemia, 22 heart disease, 41 percent. prevalence alone 12 spending.