The number of obese people have increased 34% since 1960. 34% is a lot. Especially to have a 34% increase over 54 years. There are lots of things to blame the rise in obesity on and the food industry is a big one, as well as genetics. However, generally it is caused by overeating and under exercising. Learn more about that here http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Obesity/Pages/Causes.aspx.

This rise in obesity has caused the average obese man to spend an extra $1,152 a year and the average obese woman spends an extra $3,613 a year according to Forbes link to full article here http://bit.ly/forbesobesity. Now obviously this causes the cost of healthcare insurance to go up for the average person because the company is counting on healthier people buying at a higher rate to cover the cost of the unhealthy (and obese) people that will use the insurance more. It really is an incentive to be healthier because an employer can, under the affordable care act, charge obese employees 30-50% more for what they contribute to paying for healthcare if they refuse to participate in a weight loss program.

Even though obesity is causing healthcare insurance prices to skyrocket that is not the worst thing about obesity. Morbid obesity is six times what it used to be in 1960. SIX TIMES! Morbid obesity is defined as someone with a BMI of 40 or above with significant medical problems that are worsened or caused by their weight. This type of obesity is typically the kind that creates the rise in the cost of health care because obesity itself isn’t what the doctors are treating. They’re treating hypertension, joint problems, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and a multitude of other issues. All of these illnesses contribute to the rising cost of healthcare for the average American.