Abstract
Background Obesity could be considered as the main consequence of unhealthy nutrition, responsible
for many pathological alterations in human. Obese patients usually need more health
care services. The aim of the study was to estimate the financial expenditures of
health care provisions in Hungary, related to obesity and diabetes, as its main pathological
consequence.
Methods Data of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) were collected for 2013,
regarding finances of secondary care, hospital services, reimbursement for medications
and healing aids of diabetic patients together with selected morbidities linked to
obesity, based on the codes of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)
and calculated their population prevalence on the population-attributable fraction
(PAF).
Results Financial data regarding diabetes care resulted in a 40,311 Million HUF (129 Million
EUR) national fund expenses, beside a 7,173 Million HUF (23 Million EUR) contribution
from patients. Estimated total health care expenditures related to obesity were 58,986
Million HUF (188 Million EUR) and the financial contribution of patients was calculated
as 25,316 Million HUF (81 Million EUR). These data represent a 5.2% and 9.3% of the
whole national health services, 16% and 30% of the whole drug-reimbursement budgets,
respectively.
Conclusions Although expenditures for some obesity related pathologies analyzed in this paper
represent 0.28% of the national GDP, considering other morbidities and other patient’s
expenses, the real ratio could be between 0.5–1%. The increasing number of overweight
and obese persons requires more focus in public health, higher awareness in the society
and more governmental support.
Key words
diabetes - Health care expenditures - Hungary - National Health Insurance Fund - obesity
- overweight - population-attributable fraction
