A National Bureau of Economic Research study found that obesity actually accounts for 17 percent of all medical costs annually, well up from a previous estimate.
Researchers at Cornell University and Lehigh University concluded medical costs are close to $170 billion per year. Understated self-reporting and overly cautious research gathering in previous studies stopped short of saying obesity caused medical costs when other factors could be responsible.
Obesity adds $2,800 to a person’s annual medical bill. Researchers were trying to more accurately show the medical care consequences of obesity. I guess they succeeded.