WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS COULD SAVE MEDICARE BILLIONS
Sep 14, 2011, 10:50 p.m.
Weight loss programs could potentially save Medicare billions of dollars if people at risk for cardiovascular disease or diabetes participated in the programs, a recent study has found.
Looking at data from an existing YMCA diabetes prevention program, researchers looked at how much money Medicare would save if millions of people in the U.S. took part in weight-loss programs that would help them live a healthier lifestyle. In a different study evaluating the YMCA program, participants lost 7% of their body weight over 2.8 years, and development of diabetes went down about 70 percent among those over age 60.
The study authors based their findings on a scenario in which the program would target adults ages 60-64 who are pre-diabetic and overweight. They looked at Medicare savings over a period of 10 years.
The findings indicated that if 70% of people ages 60-64 with a Body Mass Index of 24 or higher enrolled, it would cost $590 million, but would end up saving Medicare a lifetime savings of $9.3 billion.
The Los Angeles Times quoted Kenneth Thorpe, lead author of the study and professor at Emory University, as saying in a news release, "Diabetes is expensive to treat. Most of the growth in health care spending is linked to rising rates of diabetes, cholesterol, and high blood pressure--all conditions that weight loss can help reduce. Why not shift the focus to keeping people healthy?"
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