How Have Costs Associated With Obesity Changed Over Time?

This analysis explores the costs associated with obesity for people with large employer private insurance, using data from Merative MarketScan’s commercial claims and encounters database from 2011 through 2021.It finds, on average, privately insured people with an obesity diagnosis have higher total and out-of-pocket spending than people without an obesity diagnosis. The analysis also examines the cost of common surgical and pharmacological treatments for obesity.

The analysis is available through the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an online information hub that monitors and assesses the performance of the U.S. health system.