April 26, 2013: Campaign to End Obesity reports new findings. The current methods used to estimate the costs and savings of federal legislation do not account for billions of dollars in potential long-term savings from policies that would prevent or reduce obesity, according to a new report. Changing the way estimates are conducted would provide a clearer picture that preventing obesity can help save money in the long run. The Congressional Budget Office currently estimates the costs of proposed federal policies over a 10-year time frame. Widening that lens to 75 years would account for the fact that a person at a healthy weight would see reduced health care costs and higher wages throughout their lifetime. This report was funded by RWJF and more information can be found here.
