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Radiocast: Rising Health Care Costs Related to
Obesity
Debra: This is Healthcare 411: Information for better health. Health care
spending for obese adults in the U.S. rose more than 80 percent from 2001 to
2006. AHRQ researcher Marie Stagnitti explains the findings and their
significance:
Ms. Stagnitti: We looked at national data to compare total medical
expenses including, but not limited to, doctors’ visits, hospital care and
prescription drugs for adults. We found that overall, medical care spending for
obese adults increased 82 percent, from $167 billion in 2001 to $303 billion in
2006. Also during this timeframe, the number of obese adults increased from 48
million to 59 million. In contrast, total health care costs for normal-weight
adults rose far less - only 25 percent. These data offer additional perspective
on the scope of the obesity problem in the U.S.
Debra: Healthcare 411 is produced by AHRQ, the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
I’m Debra James for Healthcare 411.
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