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Yes, smoking isn't the same at all. People that are extremely obese require bigger hospital beds, more equipment, more drugs, more operations, etc. That's not e

Yes, smoking isn't the same at all. People that are extremely obese require bigger hospital beds, more equipment, more drugs, more operations, etc. That's not even remotely comparable to smoking in terms of costs on the system. There also aren't a lot of smokers anymore, at least not in the US, obesity is a revolving door that is constantly taxing the system. Even during COVID obese people were the ones taxing the system, not people of normal/healthier weights. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33470881/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33470881/ "Adults with obesity in the United States compared with those with normal weight experienced higher annual medical care costs by $2,505 or 100%, with costs increasing significantly with class of obesity, from 68.4% for class 1 to 233.6% for class 3. The effects of obesity raised costs in every category of care: inpatient, outpatient, and prescription drugs. Increases in medical expenditures due to obesity were higher for adults covered by public health insurance programs ($2,868) than for those having private health insurance ($2,058). In 2016, the aggregate medical cost due to obesity among adults in the United States was $260.6 billion. The increase in individual-level expenditures due to obesity varied considerably by state (e.g., 24.0% in Florida, 66.4% in New York, and 104.9% in Texas)."

luckylion 4y ago
My point was that these people tend to live a full decade less, and they're missing out the decade when health care cost rise to $11k/yr (65+, also when Medicaid kicks in as far as I understand). Only looking at the obesity-related health-care cost without looking at the earlier-death-related savings doesn't get you a clear picture. All obese people becoming healthier might actually cost the health-care system more. I understand that's not a comfortable way to think about it for some people, but I do believe it's useful to consider. Here's a study on lifetime costs for smokers vs nonsmokers: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejm199710093371506 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejm199710093371506 In Germany, healthcare spending for women is about 20% larger per person which is primarily explained by the 5 years additional life expectancy. You'll see that it's not obvious that an obese person dying 10 years earlier will necessarily have the same life time cost because their life is much shorter, and cost rises rapidly when you're past retirement age.
- partiallypro 4y ago
  I'm well aware of the stat that you're pushing, I am pointing that it does not apply to people that are obese. Costs rise rapidly for obese people MUCH sooner than the elderly and smokers which are a very niche group (specifically in the US), obese people are not; they also have early signs of problems, where smokers do not. Which group overran hospitals in 2020 with COVID and drained resources from other departments/types of healthcare? I'll give you a guess. That overrunning lead to the deaths of people that weren't obese and didn't have COVID because they could no longer get care. Also, Smokers don't need constant medications to fight high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, etc, so their lifetime costs are much much less. Even outside of the medical realm, people that are grossly obese use more resources, including fuel, which effects everyone. It is very much a problem for everyone.

luckylion 4y ago

My point was that these people tend to live a full decade less, and they're missing out the decade when health care cost rise to $11k/yr (65+, also when Medicaid kicks in as far as I understand). Only looking at the obesity-related health-care cost without looking at the earlier-death-related savings doesn't get you a clear picture. All obese people becoming healthier might actually cost the health-care system more. I understand that's not a comfortable way to think about it for some people, but I do believe it's useful to consider. Here's a study on lifetime costs for smokers vs nonsmokers: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejm199710093371506 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejm199710093371506 In Germany, healthcare spending for women is about 20% larger per person which is primarily explained by the 5 years additional life expectancy. You'll see that it's not obvious that an obese person dying 10 years earlier will necessarily have the same life time cost because their life is much shorter, and cost rises rapidly when you're past retirement age.

partiallypro 4y ago
I'm well aware of the stat that you're pushing, I am pointing that it does not apply to people that are obese. Costs rise rapidly for obese people MUCH sooner than the elderly and smokers which are a very niche group (specifically in the US), obese people are not; they also have early signs of problems, where smokers do not. Which group overran hospitals in 2020 with COVID and drained resources from other departments/types of healthcare? I'll give you a guess. That overrunning lead to the deaths of people that weren't obese and didn't have COVID because they could no longer get care. Also, Smokers don't need constant medications to fight high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, etc, so their lifetime costs are much much less. Even outside of the medical realm, people that are grossly obese use more resources, including fuel, which effects everyone. It is very much a problem for everyone.