Obese People Generate Bigger Health-Care Bills

[doreen T]

Obese People Generate Bigger Health-Care Bills

They use more prescriptions and are hospitalized more often, study finds

TUESDAY, Oct. 26
(HealthDayNews) -- by Robert Preidt


Obese people have higher health-care costs than those who aren't obese, says a study in the Oct. 25 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researchers at Kaiser Permanente of Colorado, Denver, compared health-care costs over one year for 539 obese people and 1,225 people who weren't obese. The average age of the obese group was 48.2 years and the average age of the non-obese group was 49.1 years. The obese patients had an average body mass index (BMI) of 37.9 while the average BMI for those in the non-obese group was 22.4. A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.

Over the yearlong study period, median total health-care costs for the obese patients were $585.44, compared with $333.24 for the non-obese patients.

Prescription drug costs accounted for most of that difference. Median prescription drug costs for the obese patients were $357.65, compared with $157.86 for non-obese patients. Obese patients has a median of 11 new and refill drug prescriptions during the year, while non-obese patients had a median of six prescriptions.

Obese patients were 3.85 times more likely than non-obese patients to be hospitalized (4.8 percent vs. 1.47 percent) and the average age of obese patients who were hospitalized was younger than non-obese patients (49 years vs. 56 years).

During the year of the study, obese patients had a median of three outpatient visits while non-obese patients had a median of two.

"The economic burden of obesity is significant, even over the relatively short time period of one year. Our study documents the association between health-care expenditures and level of obesity using individual-level data, while taking age, sex and chronic diseases into consideration," the study authors wrote.

"Further study is needed to establish the economic burden of obesity using data from longer periods," the authors added.


SOURCE: JAMA/Archives journals, news release, Oct. 25, 2004


http://www.healthscout.com/news/1/521935/main.html

[mio1996]

Once again I am amazed that these studies are even needed. Do people still not realize by now that losing weight improves health and causes a decrease in medical costs?

The first thing I thought when I read the headline was, duh!

Oh well, maybe when we have done a million studies everyone will finally realize the truth. At least its good to be reminded that our hard work losing weight isn't for naught. It saves us money!

[Zuleikaa]

I believe it and I don't believe it. Sure, if you're obese and have health problems, you're problems are going to be more severe. However, if you're obese and you don't have health problems then your medical costs can be nil or equal to those of any other healthy person.

[wwdimmitt]

Damn, damn, damn! I was trying to get the grant for that study!

Guess that I will have to concentrate on my application to study whether the elderly are actually older.

What a drag! heh

[southbel]

I understood this as a given, but even some doctors don't. About two years ago, I was having knee problems, digestive problems, etc and I went to my doctor to ask him for help in losing weight since I figured this was a main contributor. His answer was that some people have a "natural" weight and maybe I was at mine. I almost fell out of my chair, I couldn't believe he told me that! I tried to explain how I was having a hard time, since I was trying the starve yourself and eat low fat plan, and he told me that I just needed to watch how much I ate and exercise. I think that some doctors either think it's just a lack of willpower or don't even want to get into it. I don't know. A little off topic, I know.

By the way, the previous digestive problems are pretty much alleviated now that I am LC. So, I guess losing weight has helped decrease some of my medical costs.

[DebPenny]

Once again I am amazed that these studies are even needed. Do people still not realize by now that losing weight improves health and causes a decrease in medical costs?

The first thing I thought when I read the headline was, duh!

Oh well, maybe when we have done a million studies everyone will finally realize the truth. At least its good to be reminded that our hard work losing weight isn't for naught. It saves us money!
You know what? Not everyone who's obese is unhealthy or uses medical resources even as much as the thin people in their bleeping study. This article really bothered me because it seems to say that all obese people are more unhealthy that thin people. Their study was only of people who went to the doctor. I get a gyn exam maybe once every two years. I don't have other health issues to go see the doctor about. I don't have high blood-pressure, heart disease, etc. Just because I'm obese, doesn't mean I'm unhealthy -- especially now that I'm low-carbing and active. Obesity is not the cause of all health problems, our diet and activity levels, or lack thereof, are much more direct causes of health issues.

OK, I'm done, I just had to rant. Blaming obesity for everything really gets my goat.

[kyrasdad]

I believe it and I don't believe it. Sure, if you're obese and have health problems, you're problems are going to be more severe. However, if you're obese and you don't have health problems then your medical costs can be nil or equal to those of any other healthy person.


Agreed. I've gone spans of nearly ten years with no illness, and I was over 300 pounds during that time. I went to the doctor rarely, if ever. I was way less expensive than many thin people. In the 1980's, I hardly went to the doctor at all. In the 1990's I really went mostly for Graves Disease, which now requires I go once a year or so. I am a cheap healthcare patient despite weighing 300-plus for most of a decade.

However, on average, I believe this to be accurate. Fat people are not necessarily sicker more often, but we certainly develop things like diabetes and heart disease at higher rates, and any problems we develop are going to be more pronounced.

[Nancy LC]

You might look at any given 10 years of a person's life time and obese people might not have many ills during that period, but over the entire life span its gotta make a difference. Just the mechanics of a body, like joints, are under a lot more pressure when you're carrying around a lot of extra weight. That might not mean problems this decade, but 2 or 3 decades from now, it could make lot of difference.

[Zuleikaa]

You know what? Not everyone who's obese is unhealthy or uses medical resources even as much as the thin people in their bleeping study. This article really bothered me because it seems to say that all obese people are more unhealthy that thin people. Their study was only of people who went to the doctor. I get a gyn exam maybe once every two years. I don't have other health issues to go see the doctor about. I don't have high blood-pressure, heart disease, etc. Just because I'm obese, doesn't mean I'm unhealthy -- especially now that I'm low-carbing and active. Obesity is not the cause of all health problems, our diet and activity levels, or lack thereof, are much more direct causes of health issues.

OK, I'm done, I just had to rant. Blaming obesity for everything really gets my goat.

I agree. In fact there was a recent study that said fat people who were fit and remained the same weight were actually healthier than repeated dieters either fat or thin either fit or unfit.

[cs_carver]

Not everyone who's obese is unhealthy or uses medical resources even as much as the thin people in their bleeping study. This article really bothered me because it seems to say that all obese people are more unhealthy that thin people. Their study was only of people who went to the doctor.

The study compares total health care costs of two groups of people--so the obese people who didn't go to the doctor helped hold down the total of their group, while the non-obese group who DID go to the doctor helped raise theirs. Assuming the groups were reasonably well-controlled, it's a valid point.

Related, but not mentioned: I have seen a study that shows that controlling blood sugar to "normal" (80?) resulted in average hospital-stay bills that were $25,000 less than equivalent visits when blood sugar was allowed to go to 120. And 120 isn't that high.

Given that Type II diabetes is closely associated with being overweight, there is a pretty obvious connection. Some obese people are as healthy as anyone. But once they get sick, they take a lot more treating.

[tom sawyer]

I think the idea that obesity correlates with an increased number of health problems, has merit. What I do not really buy, is that obesity is the ROOT CAUSE of most of these problems. Maybe some of them, but not all. I believe obesity is a symptom as much as, of not more than, a cause. I believe that until the health and nutrition profession finally figures out the true root cause, they will be helpless to do anything about the problem.

I do wonder if their numbers in this particular study, were great enough to encompass all the different combinations of people's health and weight, that exist. Probably so.

[DebPenny]

Given that Type II diabetes is closely associated with being overweight, there is a pretty obvious connection. Some obese people are as healthy as anyone. But once they get sick, they take a lot more treating.
Type II diabetes is more-closely related to over-eating carbs than weight. It is not limited to obese people by any stretch of the imagination. The media and the medical industry are the ones who have promoted the idea that it's limited to the obese.

When my dad went in for his heart surgery 15 years ago, there were 5 other men in for the same surgery that day. All 5 of the other men had diabetes, only one of them could be considered obese. My dad could also be considered obese (he also way over-consumed carbs and had smoked until 10 years prior to his surgery). My dad was the only one who did not have diabetes.

[JoeB2]

I think the idea that obesity correlates with an increased number of health problems, has merit. What I do not really buy, is that obesity is the ROOT CAUSE of most of these problems.

Good point. I wonder how frequently obesity is an outcome of an underlying problem. If you're severely ill, it can easy to be more isolated, depressed, and not physically active. All three of those factors contribute to obesity.