The Impact of the Obesity Epidemic on Texas Health Insurance

The so-called obesity epidemic affecting the United States has received a large amount of media coverage. The number of Americans who are overweight to the point of possibly risking their health has been steadily increasing since 1980. This trend is felt especially felt in Texas; while the national obesity rate was 24.4% in 2005, Texas’s average was 27%.

The Costs of Obesity

While not every overweight person is unhealthy, overweight people as a group tend to be at increased risks for certain condition, such as:

• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Gallbladder disease
• Asthma
• Osteoarthritis

These problems do not just affect the people who suffer from them. Texas businesses lost an estimated $3.5 billion in 2005 alone to weight-related costs such as employee absences, decreased productivity, and increasing health insurance premiums. Since over 80% of Texans with private health insurance receive it through their jobs, companies are being hit by increased health costs most of all.

Searching for Solutions

Finding a quick fix for obesity has been shown to be basically futile. Millions of Americans struggle with being overweight, and nearly every possible solution has been tried. Newer initiatives being tried by companies and the government focus on long-term changes in people's lives. For example, Texas schools have increased physical education and eliminated unhealthy foods from their cafeterias and the majority of vending machines.

Some companies are trying new programs that offer financial incentives to live healthily. For example, workers with healthy lifestyles may receive lower insurance premiums. Other companies are offering gym memberships to all workers. The benefits of these programs may take a few years to become apparent, but they can be significant.

Contact Option 1 Texas Health Insurance

To learn more about Texas health insurance coverage, contact Option 1 Health Insurance.