A person with an unusually high amount of body fat or a BMI (body mass index) of 25 or higher is generally considered obese. The website for Weight Control Information Network reports that currently two thirds of Americans fall into this category. Being obese is a risk factor for diabetes; both of these conditions have a vast effect on society. Obesity and diabetes is becoming an epidemic in the United States.
Workplace
Many businesses are affected by obesity and diabetes. People who become obese may need special equipment, such as canes or wheelchairs, to get around the office. This may add an extra cost to some businesses because they may need to make changes to the workplace to accommodate the handicapped individual. Also, the obese person with diabetes can also have many missed work days due to exacerbations from the condition. According to the website for Bio-Medicine, people who have obesity and diabetes lose about 5.9 hours a week of work due to illness. Productivity can also be severely reduced for a person with these conditions due to his poor health and physical decline.
Health Care Costs
Health care costs are already exorbitant for most families in today's economy. Copays for repeated physician office visits or medications can be costly. Also, insurance companies and hospital systems are seeing an increase in the amount of money spent on people with obesity and diabetes. These costs come from repeat admissions to the hospital and repeat visits to the emergency room or urgent care centers due to exacerbation or complications from obesity and diabetes. According to the Weight Control Information Network, about $92 billion of healthcare costs are a result of obesity. In addition, the American Diabetes Association reports, that the cost of diabetes on the United States health care system exceeded $174 billion in 2007. If this continues these costs will continue to rise in an already overburdened health care system.
Government and Taxpayers
Local and federal government can be affected by the condition of obesity and diabetes. Social Security considers obesity to be a medically determinable disability, and when obesity is paired with diabetes it is even more likely the person is going to be declared disabled at some point. Many times, the health of the person diminishes to the point where he needs additional assistance and can no longer work to support himself. At this point, the person may end up applying for and receiving disability. According to The American Obesity Association, $77 million dollars are paid every month to about $137,000 people who meet obesity requirements for disability. Some people may even need support from programs such as Food Stamps due to having a low income. Medicare may kick in or the person may start receiving Medicaid services.Medicaid is given when the person meets financial guidelines and Medicare is provided when a person is declared disabled or becomes retirement age. Both Medicare and Medicaid are government-funded health insurance programs and this are paid for by taxpayers.
