You Can’t Afford not to Lose Weight
Medical Weight Management is considered the safest, most cost-effective nonsurgical treatment for obesity available. Many commercial diet programs cost the same (or more), yet require you to do the bulk of the work on your own without real-life education, support or medical supervision.
Most Medical Weight Management (The Galleria Weight Loss Clinic) treatments are proven to be effective, and help hundreds of thousands of people regain their health each year. Still, more than 60 million Americans – one third of the population – remain obese. This number directly correlates with the dramatic rise in diabetes and high blood pressure over the past few decades.
The Cost of Treatment
When making the choice between living with obesity and undergoing medical weight loss treatment, most people cite one factor: the cost of treatment. When considering the actual cost of weight loss treatment, it’s important to look at another reality: the comparatively higher costs of obesity and obesity-related complications.
The Cost of Obesity
- $190 billion in annual medical costs due to obesity.
- $1026: annual cost of absenteeism per very obese male worker (BMI > 40).
- $1262: Annual cost of absenteeism per very obese female worker.
- Lost wages and higher expenses are an often-overlooked result of obesity. According to the National Institute of Health
- those who are obese miss more work on average while spending more on gasoline and food each year.
- $277: annual cost of absenteeism per mildly obese (BMI 25 to 29.9) male worker.
- $407: annual cost of absenteeism per mildly obese female worker.
- $1850 more per year in medical costs for an overweight person than for someone of healthy weight
- Health care costs including out-of-pocket expenses for managing diabetes are 2.3 times higher than for a patient without diabetes. (Statistic provided by the American Diabetes Association) $4 billion annually for additional gasoline as cars carry heavier passengers.
- Over a lifetime medications and treatments for high blood pressure can cost patients more on average than their out-of-pocket cost for obesity treatment. A single treatment for a major complication of high blood pressure such as heart attack - stroke - atherosclerosis - gallbladder disease and other conditions - often costs more than weight loss treatment – in some cases - twice as much as $1056: cost of a “bariatric chair” able to hold 500 pounds.
- $5 billion annually for additional jet fuel needed to fly heavier Americans - compared to fuel needed in 1960. It’s estimated that in 2002
- approximately 2.6 million deaths worldwide could be directly attributed to obesity. That is a major reason why obesity and related conditions often result in higher health insurance premiums and higher life insurance premiums.
- $1049: cost of a bariatric toilet rated at 700 pounds.