NJ to see highest increase in obesity-related health care costs in US by 2030 - NorthJersey.com

Tuesday, September 18, 2012    Last updated: Tuesday September 18, 2012, 7:33 PM

New Jersey has one of the lowest adult obesity rates in the country but is on track by 2030 to see the highest increase â€" 34.5 percent â€" in obesity-related health care costs among states, according to a study released Tuesday.

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But the study, by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, estimated that if New Jerseyans shed even a bit of weight â€" an average of 5 percent of each person’s body-mass index â€" the health care savings would top more than $470 million by decade’s end.

Losing weight could also help prevent tens of thousands of cases of Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, cancer and arthritis, according to the ninth annual “F as in Fat” report about obesity in America.

The report found that even though present-day New Jersey tips the scales lower than other states, obesity costs could rise faster in the future as the state grays.

“As the population ages, they’re likely susceptible for gaining weight and subject to more obesity-related chronic conditions,” said Albert Lang, a spokesman for Trust for America’s Health.

In attempting for the first time to itemize the potential dollar savings of obesity prevention and intervention efforts, the report’s authors calculated how many cases of diabetes, stroke, heart disease and other obesity-related illnesses could be prevented if the residents of each state lost 5 percent, on average, of their body-mass index, a measure of weight in relation to height. That amount translates into a 6-foot-tall, 200-pound man losing about 10 pounds.

In New Jersey, the savings are projected at $471 million by 2020 and nearly $1.4 billion by 2030.

With much of the national debate over health care focused on controlling costs, the report’s authors argue that a big part of that push needs to include enlisting schools, communities, employers and government agencies to join together in promoting lifestyle changes.

“We really cannot afford as a nation to let our obesity rates continue to grow,” said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health.

The report estimates that the medical cost of adult obesity in the country is at least $147 billion per year. Of that, $61.8 billion is paid by Medicare and Medicaid, the government health care programs for senior citizens and the poor, respectively. The average annual cost to treat a child for obesity under Medicaid is $6,730, while the average health cost for all children covered by Medicaid is $2,446.