James P. Moriarty, MSc, and colleagues of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., analyzed the incremental costs of smoking and obesity among Mayo Clinic employees and retirees who had continuous health insurance coverage between 2001 and 2007…"This may lead to underestimation of the true incremental costs, since obesity is a risk factor for developing chronic conditions," Moriarty and colleagues explained.

EHS Today by Laura Walter   4/18/12

Tags: health costs, Health Policy, James P. Moriarty, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Obesity, smoking