What Do Those Extra Pounds Cost?

While arguing for a soda tax, Leonhardt digs up a study:

Mr. Goldman and his U.S.C. colleagues have madean estimate that takes into account both higher short-term spending andreduced longevity (including the fact that the government does not haveto pay for as many years of Social Security when someone diesprematurely). In their work, they assume that obesity returns to its1978 level. If that happened, the federal government would save about$17 billion a year. That's equal to about 3 percent...