Rise in Medicare Costs Blamed on Obesity

A study blames most of the growth in U.S. Medicare costs the past 15 years on treating problems related to obesity and certain chronic conditions.

The study done at Atlanta’s Emory University said the rate of obesity among Medicare patients doubled from 1987 to 2002, and spending on those individuals more than doubled.

The findings by economists Kenneth Thorpe and David Howard appear on the Web site of the journal Health Affairs, reports USA Today.

What this study tells us is that we need to aggressively put in place interventions to deal with obesity and chronic disease prevalence among the elderly to control spending, said Thorpe.

The study said spending on medical care for obese Medicare patients was 24.8 percent of the program’s budget in 2002, compared to 9.4 percent in 1987.

The researchers said doctors also have become more aggressive in treating patients who have a cluster of cardiovascular-related risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure or low levels of good cholesterol.

Last year’s total Medicare expenditures were $336 billion but this projected to increase rapidly as the first wave of the 75 million baby boomers reaches retirement age and Medicare eligibility in 2010, the report said.