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Healthy people bad for government
Posted on Feb 14th 2008 7:00AM by Jacki DonaldsonFiled Under: Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss
Do you buy it? Do you believe that healthy people really truly cost the government more than unhealthy people do? Bethany broke this news last week when she recapped a Dutch study that found it's not smokers and it's the obese costing the government loads of money. It's the thin, fit, trim, and healthy folks who are bad for the health care system.
How exactly are healthy folks breaking the bank? They're doing it by living longer. Because their lives are longer, it costs more to care for them. Maybe this is true. But I tend to think it's still more costly to smoke and carry a lot of extra weight. It may not cost money, but it costs time spent living. For me, dying sooner than I'd like is quite a price to pay.
Check out these study facts: Healthy folks live about 84 years. Smokers live 77. The obese live 80. Care for the healthy group runs at about $417,000, from age 20 on. The cost of care for obese people was $371,000, and for smokers, about $326,000. Other fun facts: Cancer incidence, except for lung cancer, was the same in all three groups, obese people had the most diabetes, and healthy people had the most strokes.
Reacting to this news, professor of health politics at Johns Hopkins University Patrick Basham says: "This throws a bucket of cold water onto the idea that obesity is going to cost trillions of dollars."
What is your reaction?
How exactly are healthy folks breaking the bank? They're doing it by living longer. Because their lives are longer, it costs more to care for them. Maybe this is true. But I tend to think it's still more costly to smoke and carry a lot of extra weight. It may not cost money, but it costs time spent living. For me, dying sooner than I'd like is quite a price to pay.
Check out these study facts: Healthy folks live about 84 years. Smokers live 77. The obese live 80. Care for the healthy group runs at about $417,000, from age 20 on. The cost of care for obese people was $371,000, and for smokers, about $326,000. Other fun facts: Cancer incidence, except for lung cancer, was the same in all three groups, obese people had the most diabetes, and healthy people had the most strokes.
Reacting to this news, professor of health politics at Johns Hopkins University Patrick Basham says: "This throws a bucket of cold water onto the idea that obesity is going to cost trillions of dollars."
What is your reaction?
