HEALTHCARE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY-RELATED CONDITIONS AND COMORBIDITIES AMONG U.S. ADULTS WITH OVERWEIGHT OR OBESITY
Author(s)
Rodolfo J. Galindo, MD1, Katja Grasic, PhD2, Meg Wang, ScD3, Najma Saleem, PharmD3, Shuang Wang, PhD4, Keith Betts, PhD5, Guillermo Villa, PhD6;
1University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA, 2Amgen UK, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 3Amgen Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 4Analysis Group Inc, Boston, MA, USA, 5Analysis Group, Torrance, CA, USA, 6Amgen (Europe) GmbH, Rotkreuz, Switzerland
1University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA, 2Amgen UK, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 3Amgen Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 4Analysis Group Inc, Boston, MA, USA, 5Analysis Group, Torrance, CA, USA, 6Amgen (Europe) GmbH, Rotkreuz, Switzerland
OBJECTIVES: Real-world evidence estimating healthcare costs attributable to specific obesity-related conditions and comorbidities (ORCs) remains limited. The objective of this study was to compare all-cause direct healthcare costs between adults with and without each of 13 selected ORCs among U.S. adults with overweight or obesity.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Optum® Market Clarity database (2016-2025) among adults with BMI ≥27 kg/m², regardless of baseline ORC status. Index date was defined as the date of the earliest BMI measurement ≥27 kg/m2, and a minimum of 6 months of continuous enrollment post-index was required. Outcomes were evaluated monthly following the index date. ORC status was reassessed each month and, once identified, was assumed to persist for the remainder of follow-up. Two-part regression models estimated total costs, medical service costs, and pharmacy costs, adjusting for demographics, baseline HCRU/costs, BMI, COVID-19 period, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and other time-varying ORCs. Healthcare costs were adjusted to 2025 USD.
RESULTS: Among 954,544 adults included in the sample (mean (SD) age: 50.4 (16.6) years; 59.0% female; mean (SD) BMI: 36.9 (8.2) kg/m²), the mean (SD) follow-up was 40.3 (27.6) months. Higher annual healthcare costs were observed among adults with versus without each specific ORC. The largest annual cost differences were observed for atrial fibrillation ($7,668), heart failure ($7,632), stroke ($6,792), peripheral artery disease ($6,084), myocardial infarction ($5,868), hypertension ($5,496), and chronic kidney disease ($5,400). Higher annual costs were also seen for MASLD/MASH ($5,160), type 2 diabetes ($4,920), knee osteoarthritis ($4,404), obstructive sleep apnea ($3,480), asthma ($1,836) and prediabetes ($348). Results were consistent across all cost components.
CONCLUSIONS: Cardiometabolic and cardiorenal conditions are associated with substantial increases in healthcare spending among U.S. adults with overweight or obesity. These findings underscore the importance of earlier and targeted management of obesity to help reduce downstream healthcare expenditure associated with ORCs.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Optum® Market Clarity database (2016-2025) among adults with BMI ≥27 kg/m², regardless of baseline ORC status. Index date was defined as the date of the earliest BMI measurement ≥27 kg/m2, and a minimum of 6 months of continuous enrollment post-index was required. Outcomes were evaluated monthly following the index date. ORC status was reassessed each month and, once identified, was assumed to persist for the remainder of follow-up. Two-part regression models estimated total costs, medical service costs, and pharmacy costs, adjusting for demographics, baseline HCRU/costs, BMI, COVID-19 period, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and other time-varying ORCs. Healthcare costs were adjusted to 2025 USD.
RESULTS: Among 954,544 adults included in the sample (mean (SD) age: 50.4 (16.6) years; 59.0% female; mean (SD) BMI: 36.9 (8.2) kg/m²), the mean (SD) follow-up was 40.3 (27.6) months. Higher annual healthcare costs were observed among adults with versus without each specific ORC. The largest annual cost differences were observed for atrial fibrillation ($7,668), heart failure ($7,632), stroke ($6,792), peripheral artery disease ($6,084), myocardial infarction ($5,868), hypertension ($5,496), and chronic kidney disease ($5,400). Higher annual costs were also seen for MASLD/MASH ($5,160), type 2 diabetes ($4,920), knee osteoarthritis ($4,404), obstructive sleep apnea ($3,480), asthma ($1,836) and prediabetes ($348). Results were consistent across all cost components.
CONCLUSIONS: Cardiometabolic and cardiorenal conditions are associated with substantial increases in healthcare spending among U.S. adults with overweight or obesity. These findings underscore the importance of earlier and targeted management of obesity to help reduce downstream healthcare expenditure associated with ORCs.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
EE13
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
SDC: Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity)