According to a 2008 survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, health insurance premiums, overall, have almost doubled in the last decade. However, the rate of income increase lags way behind. Overall healthcare costs have increased so rapidly that many American families become financially devastated following just a single catastrophic health event whether they have health insurance or not.

A 2006 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality survey reported that in close to 3 million households, nearly 20 percent of their income is applied toward healthcare related expenses, not including payment of insurance premiums. A number of these households have health insurance coverage; however the benefits do not adequately cover the healthcare needs of these families.

The cost of health care expenses related to obesity has more than doubled over the last decade. In fact, according to the research of government sponsored programs, health care costs for obesity are expected to exceed $140 billion dollars a year.

Complications of one’s health are directly correlated to a person’s body mass index (BMI). BMI is the ratio of a person’s weight in kilos to the square of their height in meters. An individual is considered to be overweight if their BMI exceeds 25, and once their BMI reaches 30 they are classified as being obese.