We all pay for obesity

Catherine Rampell assembles two maps that do a pretty good job explaining why obesity is, whether we like it or not, something the country needs to worry about, as opposed to something that individuals deal with entirely on their own.

First, she posts this image from a recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention report:



Then comes this map of Medicare spending rates from the Dartmouth Atlas Project:

This might also be a good time to repost an old graph showing the percentage rise in health-care costs between 2001 and 2006 for folks in different weight categories:

As long as we help pay for each other through Medicare, Medicaid, and assorted other subsidies, the aggregate health of the nation is a concern for taxpayers, not just individuals. But this isn't just about government. As long as most of us pay health-care premiums based on the average health needs of other people (and that's true for everyone receiving employer-based health coverage, and any other type of risk-pooled coverage), the health of others will be a financial concern for us.

And, er, happy Thanksgiving!