Obesity and Health Insurance
Obesity and Health Insurance
Roughly one third of Americans are obese. This means that 33% of adults in the US are considered obese, compared to just over 7% globally. According to the World Health Organization, obesity is a risk factor for chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. If you're morbidly obese though, it may not be enough to keep your insurance remains valid--the average weight for which health care plans will no longer be covered is 350 pounds or more. The current research indicates that it's individual companies, rather than the government as a whole that are beginning to cut coverage for obese customers. Indeed, according to this article in The Wall Street Journal, no less than four insurance companies are considering dropping these policies--and the United States is the only major Western country where this is happening.
Obesity continues to be a problem in the US with little signs of slowing down. The growth rate of obesity has leveled off at about six pounds per person per year. However, it seems that each year about 30% more people are obese than were previously estimated by the government. With the growing number of obese individuals, it's no surprise that insurance companies are coming around to the idea that they're feeling the burden of rising weight-related costs. Morbid obesity can cost a company a huge amount--a person at 400 pounds has a risk of diabetes 500 times as high as someone with healthy weight (The Wall Street Journal). As morbid obesity is becoming more common, the costs will only become greater.
However, some say that this policy doesn't do enough to address the issue. The problem is a nationwide one--it's not just affecting particular insurance companies. In fact, most companies are just now starting to feel its effects and coming up with new policies to compensate for it. It's a difficult issue to solve because it's not just that the individual is unhealthy, but that it will have an effect on everyone else as well if no action is taken. A single person may be able to make a decision without thinking about the broader effects of it, but this cannot occur for an entire company. There is no solution which does not negatively affect someone.
It may be inevitable, however, that companies will begin to reduce coverage for morbidly obese people because of the high costs associated with treating them. Hopefully then they will develop a broader plan--such as raising the cost of food--that would have fewer side effects and be more effective in stemming obesity rates.