Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat accumulates. Approximately a third of American adults are currently obese, and it is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the world, according to MedlinePlus. It's a problem that, as it continued into the 21st century, will affect medical costs, including increasing insurance premiums.
Effects
Obesity negatively impacts health. Obese individuals are more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer and osteoarthritis during their lifetimes. As a result, obesity is known to reduce life expectancy.
Costs
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, medical costs for obese individuals accounted for 9.1 percent of total U.S. expenditures in 1998 and may have reached as high as $78.5 billion. Approximately half of these costs were paid through Medicare and Medicaid. Costs have grown by 80 percent for obese individuals in the period between 2001 and 2006. A 2010 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, found that obesity now costs the country $168 billion, or 17 percent of total medical costs.
Medical Bills
The impact of obesity on annual medical bills was believed to be $1,400. But the study by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that added costs are at least double, exceeding $2,800. The study attempted to demonstrate that the increased medical costs were a direct condition of an individual's obesity.
Insurance
East Coast Health Insurance, a Florida-based health insurance company, states that many health insurance companies will charge for obesity between 50 and 100 percent more than the premium for a typical healthy person. Sometimes an obese person will not be approved, and even if he is approved, the condition may be declined. Diabetes supplies alone can cost up to $500 a month for testing strips, needles and assorted gadgets for testing blood sugar.
Considerations
According to Medline Plus, losing even 5 to 10 percent of your weight can delay or prevent some of the diseases that dramatically drive the rate of insurance. Prevention is an important part of cost control. In 2007, premiums were already on average $4,479 for an individual and $12,106 for a family of four, according to MSN Money. The addition of thousands of dollars in medical costs is a good impetus to lose weight.
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