By Matt Leingang
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Obesity cost the United States about $75 billion in 2003 - including more than $6 billion in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana - according to a new study.

Taxpayers paid about half that bill through Medicare and Medicaid programs. That public spending -- $39 billion, or about $175 per obese person -- has some experts saying that the personal behaviors that can lead to obesity also add up to a serious public health issue.

"These numbers put obesity on the same plateau as smoking in terms of costs to society," said Eric Finkelstein, a health economist with RTI International who conducted the study.

"There has been a debate about whether obesity is a personal or societal issue and whether the government has any business being involved. The fact that the government, and ultimately the taxpayer, is financing half the economic burden of obesity, suggests that the government has a clear justification to try to reduce obesity rates."

Obesity is linked to many chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several types of cancer and gallbladder disease. About 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese, according to federal health reports.

The latest study, published Friday in the journal Obesity Research, is among the first to evaluate state-by-state expenditures related to weight problems.

The $75 billion spent nationally on obesity-related diseases last year represented 6 percent of all adult medical expenditures.

Ohio fell in the middle, about $3.3 billion. Of that, taxpayers paid $839 million to treat obesity-related illnesses for Medicare patients and $914 million for Medicaid patients.

Obesity-related expenditures in Kentucky totaled $1.2 billion. In Indiana, it was $1.6 billion.

"Americans are getting less exercise, eating more high-fat diets and we're clearly paying for it," said Dr. James Young, a cardiologist and chairman of the division of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. "Are people getting that message? I'm not sure they are."

Gov. Bob Taft has repeatedly cited rising Medicaid costs as a major cause of Ohio's budget crisis. About 10 percent of Ohio's Medicaid budget is spent on obesity-related diseases, according to the RTI study.

State Sen. Mark Mallory, D-Cincinnati, said it would make sense to spend more money on obesity prevention programs to avoid higher treatment costs in the future.

"We need to focus on schools and make sure students are getting proper nutritional facts while they are young so they can avoid obesity problems when they get older," Mallory said.

2003 costs

Obesity cost the United States about $75 billion in 2003, and taxpayers footed about half the bill through Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Ohio: Total was $3.3 billion; $839 million for Medicare, and $914 million for Medicaid.

Kentucky: Total was $1.2 billion; $270 million for Medicare, and $340 million for Medicaid.

Indiana: Total was $1.6 billion; $379 million for Medicare, and $522 million for Medicaid.

Source: RTI International

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E-mail mleingang@enquirer.com