EXCESS HEALTHCARE COSTS OF OBESITY IN GERMANY: A CLAIMS DATA ANALYSIS
Author(s)
Evelyn Reinhard, PhD1, Lena Margareta Richter, MSc1, Alexander Elsner, MSc1, Nils Kossack, Dipl.-Math.1, Katrin Knerr Rupp, PhD2, Elke Mathey, MSc2.
1WIG2 – Scientific Institute for Health Economics and Health System Research, Leipzig, Germany, 2Novo Nordisk Pharma GmbH, Mainz, Germany.
1WIG2 – Scientific Institute for Health Economics and Health System Research, Leipzig, Germany, 2Novo Nordisk Pharma GmbH, Mainz, Germany.
OBJECTIVES: Obesity is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and both conditions are associated with increased mortality, morbidity and healthcare resource utilization. While the relationship between obesity and greater healthcare costs is well established, recent data on the excess costs attributable to obesity in Germany remain scarce.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study analyzing annual direct healthcare costs and income loss due to work absenteeism of adults with obesity (cohort 1) compared with adults without obesity (cohort 2) using 2024 claims data from German statutory health insurance (n = 3,134,170) to estimate excess costs attributable to obesity. We additionally estimated excess costs for persons with obesity and established CVD (prior myocardial infarction, prior stroke or symptomatic peripheral arterial disease), but without concomitant diabetes (CVD-cohort). The costs of cohort 2 and the CVD-cohort were adjusted to the age and gender distribution in cohort 1.
RESULTS: A total of 264,020 adults with obesity were identified in the WIG2 database, of whom 14,302 were assigned to the CVD-Cohort (5.4%). 2,006,304 adults had no obesity diagnosis. Compared with adults without obesity, obesity was associated with excess total healthcare costs of €3,029 per person-year, rising to €6,459 for the CVD-cohort. Key cost drivers were inpatient care (€942; €3,049), medications (€674; €861) and outpatient care (€402; €628) for Cohort 1 and the CVD-Cohort, respectively. Income loss due to sick days amounted to €1,319 (Cohort 1) and €3,045 (CVD-Cohort) per person. Extrapolated to all adults with obesity in Germany, this corresponds to an estimated total excess burden of approximately €21.4 billion per year.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm a substantial economic burden of obesity in Germany, amplified considerably by co-occurring CVD. Targeted preventive strategies and structured care pathways could meaningfully reduce direct healthcare expenditures and indirect societal costs in these high-cost patient groups.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study analyzing annual direct healthcare costs and income loss due to work absenteeism of adults with obesity (cohort 1) compared with adults without obesity (cohort 2) using 2024 claims data from German statutory health insurance (n = 3,134,170) to estimate excess costs attributable to obesity. We additionally estimated excess costs for persons with obesity and established CVD (prior myocardial infarction, prior stroke or symptomatic peripheral arterial disease), but without concomitant diabetes (CVD-cohort). The costs of cohort 2 and the CVD-cohort were adjusted to the age and gender distribution in cohort 1.
RESULTS: A total of 264,020 adults with obesity were identified in the WIG2 database, of whom 14,302 were assigned to the CVD-Cohort (5.4%). 2,006,304 adults had no obesity diagnosis. Compared with adults without obesity, obesity was associated with excess total healthcare costs of €3,029 per person-year, rising to €6,459 for the CVD-cohort. Key cost drivers were inpatient care (€942; €3,049), medications (€674; €861) and outpatient care (€402; €628) for Cohort 1 and the CVD-Cohort, respectively. Income loss due to sick days amounted to €1,319 (Cohort 1) and €3,045 (CVD-Cohort) per person. Extrapolated to all adults with obesity in Germany, this corresponds to an estimated total excess burden of approximately €21.4 billion per year.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm a substantial economic burden of obesity in Germany, amplified considerably by co-occurring CVD. Targeted preventive strategies and structured care pathways could meaningfully reduce direct healthcare expenditures and indirect societal costs in these high-cost patient groups.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EE22
Topic
Economic Evaluation, Epidemiology & Public Health, Real World Data & Information Systems
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
Cardiovascular Disorders (including MI, Stroke, Circulatory), Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity)