Obesity and Medicare spending on chronic diseases like diabetes.

Here is a good article from USA Today about obesity and Medicare spending on chronic diseases like diabetes.

Obesity and certain chronic conditions were major factors driving virtually all Medicare spending growth for the past 15 years, according to a new analysis of Medicare cost and patient data. The rate of obesity among Medicare patients doubled from 1987 to 2002, and spending on those individuals more than doubled, according to economists Kenneth Thorpe and David Howard.
Their study appeared Tuesday on the website of the journal Health Affairs.
"What this study tells us is that we need to aggressively put in place interventions to deal with obesity and chronic disease prevalence among the elderly to control spending," said Thorpe, chairman of the Department of Health Policy Management at Emory University.
In 1987, 11.7% of the Medicare population was considered obese. That number grew to 22.5% of Medicare enrollees by 2002.
Spending on medical care for obese Medicare patients was 9.4% of the federal government program's budget in 1987 but jumped to 24.8% by 2002, according to the analysis.
Physicians also are becoming more aggressive in treating patients who have a cluster of cardiovascular-related risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure or low levels of "good" cholesterol, the study found.
Such treatment patterns are good news for seniors because it means many older men and women are living longer. But more elderly Americans living longer also increases the long-term costs of the Medicare program.
Total Medicare expenditures were $336 billion in 2005 and are projected to increase at a rapid clip as the first wave of the 75 million baby boomers reaches retirement age and Medicare eligibility in 2010.
In the past, most efforts to slow Medicare spending growth focused on cutting payments to hospitals, physicians and other health care providers.
These new research findings suggest policymakers should direct their attention toward programs that encourage healthier lifestyles among seniors and those nearing retirement, Thorpe said.