A new USC Schaeffer Center white paper finds expanded access to anti-obesity medications would lead to significant increases in life expectancy and disease-free years while generating a substantial societal return on investment, even after accounting for treatment costs.

More than 4 in 10 U.S. adults have obesity, which is linked to increased risk of over 200 diseases — including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia — and costs society $260 billion annually to treat. Highly effective new anti-obesity medications can be a powerful tool against chronic disease, but fewer than one-third of health insurers cover them amid concerns about upfront costs.

Expanding access to anti-obesity medications for all adults without diabetes who qualify would generate $10 trillion in social value by enabling people to live longer and healthier lives, Schaeffer Center researchers found. Further, the investment in expanded access would yield returns to society exceeding 13% annually, which is comparable to returns on early childhood education for disadvantaged children and nearly double the U.S. stock market’s returns this century — investments widely regarded as valuable.

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