Healthcare Costs Highest for Healthiest

[glossyp]

Here's an eye opener given the popularly held belief that the obese and those who smoke cost the health care system more driving up costs for everyone. This study shows that with a life expectancy of 84, trim and healthy people cost about $417K. Obese people have a life expectancy of 80 and cost $374K while smokers have a life expectancy of 77 and cost just $326K. Not surprisingly, the obese are the most costly group between the ages of 25 to 56, but this lessens as everyone ages.

Kaiser has a brief overview (http://www.kaisernetwork.org/Daily_Reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=50256)

News Report (http://www.thenewstribune.com/health/story/274474.html)

Analysis from a healthcare professional, writer and blogger (http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/02/calling-for-cease-fire.html)
I particularly like her conclusion:
1. ***t happens and no one gets out alive.
2. No one really knows how to change #1.

The Study (http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0050029)

[GeckoGeek]

But something that has to be taken into account is that's over one's lifetime. So that would be valid for things like Medicare, Medicaid, universal healthcare or other socialized medicine. That's not going to apply to employee health insurance where the insurance is only active during the term of employment.

[craigwatanabe]

ya know...the thread title seems like an oxymoron to me but I can see why we do have the healthiest population with the highest healthcare costs. You have to be healthy and not get sick because if you do become ill, healthcare costs will wipe you out.

But like all stats indicate, leave it to the middle class to carry the burden of all human costs. WE just die from the stress imposed for having to pay the greatest amount of everything that costs money. A quick fatal heart attack and it's over. All we pay for is the ambulance/ER/funeral home costs and it's a done deal.:D

[cynsaligia]

ya know...the thread title seems like an oxymoron to me but I can see why we do have the healthiest population with the highest healthcare costs. You have to be healthy and not get sick because if you do become ill, healthcare costs will wipe you out.

But like all stats indicate, leave it to the middle class to carry the burden of all human costs. WE just die from the stress imposed for having to pay the greatest amount of everything that costs money. A quick fatal heart attack and it's over. All we pay for is the ambulance/ER/funeral home costs and it's a done deal.:D

mmm, i think you're not understanding the study's findings. the study found that it was more expensive, over time, to keep someone healthy than it is to care for someone who is obese or who smokes. it has nothing to do with middle class.

Ultimately, the thin and healthy group cost the most, about $417,000, from age 20 on.

The cost of care for obese people was $371,000, and for smokers, about $326,000.

this is partially because:

On average, healthy people lived 84 years. Smokers lived about 77 years, and obese people lived about 80 years. Smokers and obese people tended to have more heart disease than the healthy people.