Obesity Expenses Tax States

U.S. States Pay Billions in Obesity-Related Health-Care Costs

Jan. 21, 2004 -- Obesity not only puts a strain on American's health, it's also taking a toll on our wallets.

A new study shows that obesity-related health-care costs reached an estimated $75 billion in 2003, and taxpayers foot the bill for about half of those expenses through Medicare and Medicaid.

Researchers found total obesity-related health-care costs varied greatly from state to state, ranging from a low of $87 million in Wyoming to a high of $7.7 billion in California.

Taxpayer-funded Medicare and Medicaid expenses attributed to obesity were highest in California and New York, respectively, with a combined price tag of more than $5 billion.

"Obesity has become a crucial health problem for our nation, and these findings show that the medical costs alone reflect the significance of the challenge," says Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, in a news release. "Of course the ultimate cost to Americans is measured in chronic disease and early death. We must take responsibility both as individuals and working together to reduce the health toll associated with obesity."

Obesity is known to raise the risk of many chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and many types of cancer.

Obesity Taxes State Budgets

The study, published in the January issue of Obesity Research, used an economic model that predicted medical expenditures. Researchers say it's the first time obesity-related health-care costs have been examined at the state level and confirms previous studies that found obesity-related medical costs account for a large portion of total health-care spending.

Alaska and the District of Columbia spent the biggest chunk of their medical expenditures on obesity-related costs, which accounted for 6.7% of their spending. Arizona spent the least at 4% of total medical expenses.

Here's how each of the 50 states and District of Columbia fared, based on their 2003 estimated adult obesity-related spending:

	Percent (%) of total medical expenditures devoted to obesity costs:	Total obesity-related expenditures (in millions):
Alabama	6.3	$1,320
Alaska	6.7	$195
Arizona	4.0	$752
Arkansas	6.0	$663
California	5.5	$7,675
Colorado	5.1	$874
Connecticut	4.3	$856
Delaware	5.1	$207
District of Columbia	6.7	$372
Florida	5.1	$3,987
Georgia	6.0	$2,133
Hawaii	4.9	$290
Idaho	5.3	$227
Illinois	6.1	$3,439
Indiana	6.0	$1,637
Iowa	6.0	$783
Kansas	5.5	$657
Kentucky	6.2	$1,163
Louisiana	6.4	$1373
Maine	5.6	$357
Maryland	6.0	$1,533
Massachusetts	4.7	$1,822
Michigan	6.5	$2,931
Minnesota	5.0	$1,307
Mississippi	6.5	$757
Missouri	6.1	$1,636
Montana	4.9	$175
Nebraska	5.8	$454
Nevada	4.8	$337
New Hampshire	5.0	$302
New Jersey	5.5	$2,342
New Mexico	4.8	$324
New York	5.5	$6,080
North Carolina	6.0	$2138
North Dakota	6.1	$209
Ohio	6.1	$3,304
Oklahoma	6.0	$854
Oregon	5.7	$781
Pennsylvania	6.2	$4,138
Rhode Island	5.2	$305
South Carolina	6.2	$1,060
South Dakota	5.3	$195
Tennessee	6.4	$1,840
Texas	6.1	$5,340
Utah	5.2	$393
Vermont	5.3	$141
Virginia	5.7	$1,641
Washington	5.4	$1,330
West Virginia	6.4	$588
Wisconsin	5.8	$1,486
Wyoming	4.9	$87
Total	5.7	$75,051