We all know that our nation’s obesity problem has become so detrimental that it’s now being considered an “epidemic.” And at the beginning of every year, many Americans vow to lose weight – in fact, it’s always one of the top five New Year’s resolutions. But it’s hard to lose weight. For most people, it takes a lot more than just “eating healthier” or “exercising every day.” It’s a complete lifestyle change – and finding the time, courage, and motivation to embark on that journey is hard.

So we would like to give you a little extra motivation… Humana, one of the nation’s largest health insurance companies, has recently released a statement estimating the actual costs of being overweight or obese.

For 2009, Humana estimates the costs as:

• $13.99 in added health care costs for every overweight pound

• $1,037.64 for every overweight individual

• $127 billion added to the national health care bill

And while those estimates are frightening enough, Humana went one step further. By researching national health care data and the data from Humana health insurance members, they were also able to release the following statistics:

• For 25-year olds, it averages $10.25 for every overweight pound

• The added annual health care cost is $209 for the overweight and $960 for the obese

• By age 64, that cost increases to $26.32

• The added annual health care cost is $610 for the overweight and $2,300 for the obese

On average, overweight people are 29 pounds overweight, while the obese are 82 pounds overweight. Do the math – the added costs are significant! Overweight people typically spend between $297 – $763 in additional costs every year, while the obese can pay between $840 – $2,158.

Recent statistics show that there are more than 122 million overweight and obese Americans between the ages of 20 and 65. This adds up to over $120 billion in extra health care costs every year!

Now, if that’s not motivation, I don’t know what is! But don’t worry, Humana’s research also showed that there is a way we can get out of this crisis. Even though the weight loss journey takes a lot of hard work, just a few small changes could make a big difference. For overweight people, reducing your daily caloric intake by just 276 calories would be a great place to start. Then try to walk an extra 2,500 steps each day – a relatively simple task if you take the stairs, park further away from the door, and go on a daily walk.

Humana’s Chief Innovation Officer, Dr. Jonathon Lord, oversees Humana’s efforts to reduce health care costs by engaging people in healthy behaviors. The group has initiated a variety of health-related programs, hoping to encourage people to get more active. They created the Freewheelin bike-sharing program, which debuted at the Democratic and Republican national conventions last summer. And they’re now partnering with B-cycle, a new company that sells bike-sharing programs to cities and universities.

If our country banded together and vowed to fight obesity, we could create such positive changes. Our country would be healthier as a whole, and our costs savings would be dramatic. If we were able to take those billions of dollars spent on added health care costs, and use them somewhere else – such as on providing health insurance to the uninsured, we would be much better off in the end.

In this time of financial crisis, it’s now clear that Americans can improve the economy as well as their own health prospects by giving up a few pounds.

- Dr. Jonathon Lord, Chief Innovation Officer at Humana

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