Even Modest Weight Loss Tied to Lower Health Care Spending
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2024 -- A reduction in body mass index in adults with overweight or obesity is associated with lower health care spending, according to a study published online Dec. 5 in JAMA Network Open.
Kenneth E. Thorpe, Ph.D., and Peter J. Joski, M.S.P.H., from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, estimated health care spending among adults with overweight or obesity and employer-sponsored insurance (13,435 adults) or Medicare (3,774 adults). Data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey-Household Component were used to tabulate total annual health care spending and associations by body mass index (BMI).
The researchers found that adults with employer-sponsored insurance with a weight loss of 5 percent were estimated to spend a mean of $670 less on health care (8 percent less). Adults with a weight loss of 25 percent spent an estimated mean of $2,849 less on health care (34 percent less). For adults with Medicare coverage and one or more comorbid conditions, a 5 percent weight loss was associated with a spending reduction of $1,262 (7 percent less), while a 25 percent weight loss was associated with a reduction in health care spending by a mean of $5,442 (31 percent less).
"Projected savings started at modest levels of weight loss and accelerated by multiples as weight loss percentage increased," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2024
Read this next
Meal Timing May Shift With Aging, Is Linked to Health Changes
FRIDAY, Sept. 5, 2025 -- Meal timing changes with age and may reflect health changes in older adults, according to a study published online Sept. 4 in Communications...
Industry Payments Common Among Neurologists Prescribing MS Drugs
FRIDAY, Sept. 5, 2025 -- Nearly 80 percent of neurologists prescribing multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs receive payments from industry, according to a study published online Aug. 26...
Housing Assistance Helps Renters With Cancer History
THURSDAY, Sept. 4, 2025 -- Receipt of housing assistance is associated with a lower risk for medical financial hardship among adult renters with a history of cancer, according to...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.