Obesity Costing Employers Millions
March 19, 2006 4:00 p.m. EST
Denise Royal - All Headline News Staff Writer
Nashville, TN (AHN) - Obesity costs U.S. employers millions of dollars each year in higher employee health costs. A study published in the March Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine finds obesity is responsible for just over 2 percent of all diagnosed medical claims dollars for men, and just under 3 percent for women.
Of 10 lifestyle health risks considered, obesity was by far the most costly -- accounting for approximately 14 percent of lifestyle-related health costs for men and 25 percent for women.
The study was conducted by Gordian Health Solutions Inc., a national provider of health management services headquartered in Nashville. The analysis considered more than 1,600 diagnosis codes related to 10 different lifestyle health risks, compared to just four to nine specific diseases that are typically considered in epidemiologically-based cost-of-illness studies.
The study, for the first time, benchmarked obesity related expenses by business sector and by age and gender, providing hard data for making the case for population health management initiatives with their captive employee/member bases.
Obesity costs $3.55 per member per month for men, and $5.71 for women, the study found.
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