Now ranked fifth in the nation in obesity, state residents are on track to rack up 1.4 million new cases of type 2 diabetes, 2.9 million cases of coronary heart disease and 2.6 million cases of high blood pressure over the next 20 years, a national study found.
According to the nonprofit Trust for America's Health, 31 percent of Michigan adults were obese in 2011. It projects that will climb to nearly 60 percent by 2030. An estimated 30 percent of children ages 10 to 17 are now overweight or obese.
In 2008, Michigan spent an estimated $3.1 billion on obesity-related medical costs. If trends continue, state officials estimate that will quadruple to $12.5 billion by 2018.
News and Analysis from The Center for Michigan They warn that trajectory -- if not reversed -- will eventually overwhelm the health-care system's ability to pay.
“People won't get services. The (insurance) premiums will be so high that companies will just stop paying,” said James Haveman, director of the Michigan Department of Community Health.
That prognosis only underscores the stakes for Michigan's health-care network, given the fact it already leads the nation in the number of people dropped from employer-based health care in the past decade.
On Jan. 23, the state launched a publicity campaign to encourage overweight residents to lose 10 percent of their body weight.
“People can’t wait. They need to start making decisions today,” Haveman said.
Called MI Healthier Tomorrow, it is an outgrowth of a 2011 Lansing summit convened by Gov. Rick Snyder to develop strategies for reducing obesity. Among its key findings was the need to drive up public awareness of the serious health costs of obesity.
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