Treating obesity and the health conditions that stem from it is expensive, as state Medicaid programs can attest.
In 2013, $8 billion of state Medicaid funding was used to treat severe obesity, according to a study published Monday in the journal Health Affairs. The data comes as many states are weighing whether to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
The study’s authors said the $8 billion is likely to rise.
“Experts predict these costs will only grow as Medicaid eligibility is extended to more people following implementation of the Affordable Care Act,” according to the journal.
The study recommends states ensure access to effective obesity prevention and treatment services to Medicaid-eligible people.
More importantly, states considering whether to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act need to take into account the cost of obesity, the journal said.
In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that the Obama administration couldn’t force states to expand Medicaid. That meant states could approve whether to accept the expansion, which is paid for by the federal government.
So far, 29 states have agreed to do so, with most red states reluctant.
If all states expanded Medicaid, it would add another 18 million nonelderly Americans to the rolls. Many states would see “a substantial increase in obesity-related expenditures,” the study said.
Take Ohio, where Republican presidential candidate Gov. John Kasich pushed to expand Medicaid. The study estimates that expansion will increase the number of Medicaid-eligible adults by 71 percent, which could raise obesity-related costs by more than $100 million.
Kasich, who has been criticized by conservatives for the decision, ranks ninth in the Washington Examiner‘s presidential power rankings.
The study found that in 2013 severe obesity cost the nation about $69 billion. Medicaid paid for 11 percent of that amount, Medicare and other federal programs took on 30 percent, private plans 27 percent and patients paid out of pocket for 30 percent.
Researchers with Columbia University focused on the impact on Medicaid since it is an issue states will need to consider with the expansion.
They used the federal government’s definition of adult obesity, which is having a body mass index of 30 or greater. A healthy body mass index for an adult is up to nearly 25.
The researchers analyzed data and medical spending from 117,948 people who took a national survey. The study concluded that obese people paid an extra $941 in medical expenses each year, compared with those with normal weights.
Severely obese people paid $1,980 more.
The costs to states varied based on their Medicaid and general populations. For instance, Wyoming paid out more than $5 million and California $1.3 billion, the study said.
