Health Care Cost For Obesity Essay

Another negative would be that obesity plays a contributing factor in certain diseases which can cause loss of work. Both the employer and employee should work together in trying to combat this problem in the workplace, through education and health incentives for the employee.

Obesity in America is real and profoundly alarming when you look at the major impact it has on our communities. Major health concerns like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure cases are at an all time high. Specifically, the disparity between low-income urban inner cities in regards to obesity as compared to more upper class wealthier communities makes you take pause. This relates to my professional goals of going back into my community as an activist and organizer of issues related to my environment, like health and education.

About 40 to 50% of adults in America are at risk for diseases such as stroke, kidney failure, heart attack, heart failure and obesity. Most of these diseases are brought on by hypertension which is brought on by unhealthy eating choices, poor diet and little to no exercise which has devastating effects on the body. Approximately 7 out of 10 Americans is prescribed or takes a prescription pill daily, half of those are diet related illnesses such a diabetes and one third of those individuals is obese. Two trillion medical-care costs are because of chronic diseases most of which are lifestyle habits/choices. Obesity in America costs about taxpayers about $123 billion via Medicare and Medicaid. Now that obesity has risen at an alarming rate, in some cases obesity is considered a disability for those that are physically or mentally impaired by it. Debatably a preventable disease with proper education on food, diet and exercise

Within the last half century, the obesity rate in America has increased by twenty one percent from thirteen percent to thirty four percent of adults; while the percent of the population considered overweight has remained stagnate at thirty-four percent. Unfortunately, the increase in the obese population poses a large threat to the health and well-being of United States citizens. Obesity is not only an accumulation of fat mass, but has been linked to many diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. The strain that each of these respective diseases contributes onto the United States healthcare system is great, but how exactly does obesity contribute to the occurrence of these three diseases? What health factors are affected by obesity and lead to the development of chronic illness?

Adult obesity rates have rapidly increased since 1960, with at least one-third of the population classified as obese today. It is believed that 60-70% of the risk factors for developing obesity are genetic and are genes that are generally considered to dictate food intake. The environment also significantly affects an individual’s risk for obesity, and poverty level is a huge factor as well. Of the ten states with the highest obesity rates, nine of them among the nation’s poorest states.

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention claims that “obesity related medical care cost in the United States are at an all time high, and in 2008 dollars, these cost were estimated to be 147 billion. The annual nationwide productive costs of obesity-related absenteeism range between $3.38 billion ($79 per obese individual) and $6.38 billion ($132 per obese individual),” according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. An analysis conducted by Emory University own healthcare economist Ken Thorpe, Ph.D. C, titled “The Future Cost of Obesity” estimates that the annual of cost of health care will sky rock by an estimated 344 billion dollars by 2018 or about $20.00 per every healthcare dollar spent in the U.S, providing a financial imperative for obesity prevention initiatives.

Obesity is an epidemic and affects millions of people in the United States every day. This health problem affects everybody, not only adults but in people of all ages even children. It is also a disease, a disease from improper nutrition that requires long term medical treatment otherwise causing many health risks leading to death. “This isn't rocket science. People want to eat healthy diets, but they tend to eat whatever's convenient and affordable.

According to Harvard Health Publications (11-12), the causes of obesity are interrelated. By understanding how these various factors interrelate and eventually how they cause obesity, we can be able to draw a conclusion whether the problem of being overweight is as a result of our own fault or it is a problem that people do not have control over. The factors that interact with one another and result in one person being overweight compared to another include; genetics and the person’s weight, influences from the external environment, physical inactivity and the behaviors that have been learned by a person.

Obesity is extremely expensive, too. The nutrition choices that obese people make not only decrease their health levels, but also create a strong impact in American economy. In 2003 Americans spent 75 billion dollars in medical treatment for issues connected to obesity (CDC). Half of those costs were covered by Medicare and Medicaid or, in other words, by the taxpayers. In addition, it is worth mentioning the entire industry that has been created as a result of the need to fight

Adult overweight and obesity have become a worldwide issue that has very dangerous consequences on health. World Health Organization defines obesity as the “epidemic of the 21st Century”. WHO reports show that 1.9 billion people with 18 years age and older are overweight, and 600 million of them are obese. In the United States, obesity is a serious problem today that results from overconsumption of high-fat food and sugary food with lack of exercise. The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention reports show that the obesity rates are above 20 percent in all states. Overweight and obesity have become a major public health issue because of their high rates of mortality and morbidity. People who are considered overweight or obese are at increased

Obesity is a highly prevalent condition in America, affecting approximately one third of the adult American population. Obesity can be caused by a myriad of factors: genetics,

Obesity also is having a devastating effect on the American economy. In 2013 the total cost of obesity related medical problems was $190 billion approximately 21% of the total US health care cost (PHIT America p.1). This year already Americans have spent $32,160,950,000 on obesity related problems and the number continues to rise. In 2013 Americans spent $3.4 billion more and burned 938,000,000 gallons of gasoline then we would have had to if our obesity rate was where it was in 1960 (PHIT America p.1).The Society of Actuaries estimates that last year employers lost $164 billion due to obesity related issues with employees in America alone (PHIT America p.1). The list of obesity related expenses goes on and on. It is predicted by 2030 $580 billion will be spent each year on the health care for obesity related issues alone, in less our current situation changes.

One of the most mentioned economic impacts of the obesity epidemic is on direct medical spending. Obesity is linked with greater risk for several serious health conditions, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes,

Obesity remains an extremely serious problem worldwide. Once considered a problem for wealthier counties, overweight and obesity are now rapidly increasing in low and middle income countries (WHO, 2011). In American, the rates of obesity continues to rise. NIH (2012) recognizes obesity as a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other health problems. According IFT over two-thirds of the US are overweight or obese, and over one-third are obese (Fast food restaurants ‘not to blame’ for American obesity 2012). IFT.org (2012) in September it was predicated that 75% of Americans would be overweight in 2020. The problem is thought to cause Americans $150-170 billion in annual medical costs. Many people argue that the

Increasingly high obesity rates among the U.S. population have both personal and societal ramifications. For the individual, increased body mass has been linked to a myriad of health issues including heart disease, Type II diabetes, high cholesterol, cancer, strokes, kidney & liver disease, and hypertension. (Wilmore, et al., 2008) On a societal level, the Center for Disease Control estimates that obesity related medical care costs reached a staggering $147 billion in 2008 with obese patients costing $1,400 more per patient than those that fell into a "normal" weight rage (CDC). Obesity-related diseases may also contribute to millions of lost workdays and higher insurance premiums (CNBC).