Obesity costs Texas businesses $9.5 billion annually in health insurance costs, absenteeism, reduced work productivity and disability, according to a report by Texas Comptroller Susan Combs.
This report updates a 2007 Comptroller report outlining the cost of obesity to Texas businesses and provides strong recommendations to address the state’s obesity crisis on all levels: in our schools, businesses and communities.
The number of Texans who are overweight or obese continues to grow, accounting for a significant jump in the costs borne by Texas employers. Today, 66.7 percent of adult Texans are overweight or obese, up from 64.1 percent in 2005, according to the report.
The rising cost of treating obesity-related diseases and an aging population with higher rates of obesity also have increased the Comptroller’s estimate of obesity costs to Texas businesses. The updated estimates put obesity-related costs for Texas businesses at $9.5 billion in 2009. Left unchecked, obesity could cost employers $32.5 billion annually by 2030. These costs consume a growing share of economic output that could otherwise support more productive activities. The report further argues, obesity-related costs also contribute to rising health care and insurance costs that have forced some Texas employers to reduce insurance coverage.
Read the report from the Comptroller: http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/obesitycost/