Although it seems counterintuitive, my decision to shape up and lose weight may end up costing the U.S. government more than if I had stayed obese. I’m indebted to the February 5, 2008, National Public Radio broadcast of All Things Considered for this challenging insight.
The program discussed the results of a study in the Netherlands, which were summarized in the article “Lifetime Medical Costs of Obesity: Prevention No Cure for Increasing Health Expenditure,” reported in the Public Library of Science-Medicine on February 4, 2008.
Economist Pieter van Baal, who headed the study for the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, challenges the myth that reducing obesity will reduce medical costs. His study shows the opposite—decreased costs associated with obesity-related illnesses are offset by increased costs associated with a longer life span. Compared to the obese person, the trim and fit person lives an average of seven years longer. Persons who die prematurely through obesity-related illnesses inadvertently end up saving the government money.
Although I initially found the premise startling, I think it holds true in my case. When I began my fitness makeover at age 59, I was in the 90th percentile for risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke. Had I continued on this path, I doubt I would be alive today. With the benefit of lifestyle changes, though, I lowered my risk in all three categories. Today I have a good chance of collecting social security for the next 30 years. My decision to lose weight will indeed cost the government more money than if I had died from an obesity-related medical condition.
There may be a lot of good reasons for getting fit, but it turns out saving money for the U.S. government may not be one of them.
I hasten to add, though, that my goal for living a long life has always been more personal. As I jokingly tell my children, I want to live long enough to come to their homes and behave the way they did growing up. I want to drink from the milk carton, leave my dirty clothes on the bathroom floor and stay up late playing loud music in my bedroom with the door locked. Now that’s a true incentive for losing weight and getting fit, right?
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