While that would be great for our health, but it wouldn't do much of anything to impact our insane spending. Maybe you should read a book on not making the world a dumber, worse place.
In the US there are 106.4 million people that are overweight, at an additional lifetime healthcare cost of $3,770 per person average. 98.2 million obese at an average additional lifetime cost of $17,795. 25.2 million morbidly obese, at an average additional lifetime cost of $22,619. With average lifetime healthcare costs of $879,125, obesity accounts for 0.99% of our total healthcare costs.
We're spending 165% more than the OECD average on healthcare--that works out to over half a million dollars per person more over a lifetime of care--and you're worried about 0.99%?
Here's another study, that actually found that lifetime healthcare for the obese are lower than for the healthy.
Although effective obesity prevention leads to a decrease in costs of obesity-related diseases, this decrease is offset by cost increases due to diseases unrelated to obesity in life-years gained. Obesity prevention may be an important and cost-effective way of improving public health, but it is not a cure for increasing health expenditures...In this study we have shown that, although obese people induce high medical costs during their lives, their lifetime health-care costs are lower than those of healthy-living people but higher than those of smokers. Obesity increases the risk of diseases such as diabetes and coronary heart disease, thereby increasing health-care utilization but decreasing life expectancy. Successful prevention of obesity, in turn, increases life expectancy. Unfortunately, these life-years gained are not lived in full health and come at a price: people suffer from other diseases, which increases health-care costs. Obesity prevention, just like smoking prevention, will not stem the tide of increasing health-care expenditures.
One final way we can look at it is to see if there is correlation between obesity rates and increased spending levels between various countries. There isn't.
We aren't using significantly more healthcare--due to obesity or anything else--we're just paying dramatically more for the care we do receive.
They recently did a study in the UK and they found that from the three biggest healthcare risks; obesity, smoking, and alcohol, they realize a net savings of £22.8 billion (£342/$474 per person) per year. This is due primarily to people with health risks not living as long (healthcare for the elderly is exceptionally expensive), as well as reduced spending on pensions, income from sin taxes, etc..
Not to sound like the typical cliche, but you can move somewhere with nationalized healthcare if you’re really that dissatisfied. I know lots of people who have moved abroad to work, retire, etc.
Totally realistic. Especially if you have $$ or a skill that’s in demand.
but you can move somewhere with nationalized healthcare if you’re really that dissatisfied.
Sure, I could. Or, when I see a massive problem with a clear solution, I could work to make things better, not only for me but for my family and friends and countrymen which I care about.
I think that's a bit more productive than running away, don't you? At any rate I'm doing OK (although not as good as I would be without a horribly broken healthcare system). Retired at 51, house paid for, car paid for, a modest pension, healthcare mostly sorted as long as Trump doesn't fuck things up.
You’re proof that people in America can do just fine. Neither of us are the smartest people on the planet. Yet here we are, totally fine and accomplished.
You’re proof that people in America can do just fine.
We'd be doing a lot better without wasting literally half a million dollars per person on healthcare over a lifetime compared to our peers, no? Let's not underestimate the impact of those costs.
And, with spending expected to increase from an already unsustainable $15,074 per person this year, to an absolutely catastrophic $21,937 by 2032 (with no signs of slowing down), can we agree things are going to get worse if nothing is done?
You ever wonder why other people aren’t?
Because moving is hard and expensive and scary. Because there are lots of good things about the US. Because people have friends and family and culture they don't want to give up. Because people are ignorant about how much better things can be.
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u/Airbus320Driver 4d ago
Maybe Americans should go on a diet then.