The Individual Cost of Being Obese in America

Today, two out of three Americans are obese or overweight. If the current trajectory continues, one in two adults will be obese by 2030.

The obesity epidemic has been accompanied by an increase in the prevalence of comorbidities, including type II diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, hypercholesterolemia, asthma, sleep apnea, musculoskeletal diseases, stomach ulcer, gallbladder diseases, chronic liver disease and multiple types of cancer. In addition, studies have shown that obesity reduces life expectancy and increases disability. 

And, there is no question that being obese or overweight is more costly than being of normal weight. A report published by the The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services detailed the costs incurred due to overweight and obesity that affect working-age adults at the individual level. 

What are the individual costs of being overweight or obese?

• The annual costs of being obese are approximately $4,879 for an obese woman and $2,646 for an obese man.
• The lifetime cost of being an obese woman is estimated to be nearly $290,000. The lifetime cost of being an obese man is estimated to be nearly $160,000. 
• The costs for obese individuals are 15 times higher than total costs of overweight individuals, irrespective of gender and employment status.

What are the societal costs of being overweight and obese? 

While individuals bear the full burden of some costs, such as the value of lost life or lost wages, employers and employees share the burden for many other costs such as direct medical costs, short-term disability, and productivity losses. The government pays a significant portion of costs associated with obesity for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

• Estimates of the medical cost of adult obesity in the United States range from $147 billion to nearly $210 billion per year.
• The majority of the spending is generated from treating obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, among others.
• Obesity is responsible for $61.8 billion in Medicare and Medicaid spending.
• In the absence of obesity, Medicare and Medicaid spending would be 8.5 percent and 11.8 percent lower, respectively.
• If obesity rates continue on their current track, medical costs associated with obesity are estimated to increase by $48 - $66 billion per year in the U.S., and the loss of economic productivity could be as high as $580 billion annually by 2030.
• However, reducing average BMI by just five percent by 2030 could significantly reduce health care costs around the country.

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