The Obesity Crisis

America is facing a health care crisis unlike any other time in our nation’s history. The majority of Americans are overweight or obese contributing to rapidly increasing health care costs and more chronic medical problems.

Each year, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updates a map of the U.S. illustrating the expanding rate of obesity. The map below shows how obesity has spread across the U.S. over the last 21 years.

Obesity is...

a chronic medical problem

Obesity is related to significantly increased rates of chronic illness. In fact, research shows obese individuals have 30 to 50% more chronic medical problems than those who smoke or drink heavily.¹  Paradoxically, even though obesity is responsible for more chronic health care problems than either smoking or drinking, it is often not addressed in many corporate health care programs.

an individual health risk

Overweight and obese individuals are at increased risk for over 50 conditions including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, depression, and several types of cancer.

a corporate health risk

Just as obesity is the common cause of many chronic health issues, it is also a significant source of increased corporate health care costs. Each year businesses are spending millions of dollars to pay for medical and prescription drug claims and lost productivity due to this treatable condition. For many companies, obesity is the largest driver of increasing health care costs. Unfortunately, as the map above depicts – the problem is only getting worse.

the numbers

From an employer perspective, here are some sobering statistics related to the obesity epidemic and higher rates of health-care utilization.²

Obese individual’s health care utilization rates:

• 36% higher inpatient and outpatient spending

• 77% higher medication spending

• 45% more inpatient days

• 48% more expenditures over $5,000

• 11% higher annual health costs