Posting date: May 14, 2003

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Health Affairs, 10.1377/hlthaff.w3.219
Copyright © 2003 by Project HOPE

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National Medical Spending Attributable To Overweight And Obesity: How Much, And Who's Paying?

¹ Eric Finkelstein is an economist at RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
² Ian Fiebelkorn is an Associate Economist at RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
³ Guijing Wang is an economist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

We use a regression framework and nationally representative data to compute aggregate overweight- and obesity-attributable medical spending for the United States and for select payers. Combined, such expenditures account for 9.1 percent of total annual U.S. medical expenditures in 1998 and may be as high as $78.5 billion ($92.6 billion in 2002 dollars). Medicare and Medicaid finance approximately half of these costs.

Key Words: Health Promotion/Disease Prevention, Public Health, Health Spending

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