The spread of ‘fat jabs’ such as Ozempic could lead to a rise in the state pension age because obese employees will live longer than anticipated, Government advisers have warned.
With more than 1.5 million people now using weight-loss drugs in the UK, the number-crunchers say that actuarial calculations about life expectancy – and therefore the bill faced by the Department for Work and Pensions – will have to be adjusted.
Users of the drugs, which also include Mounjaro and Wegovy, generally lose about 15 per cent of their body weight, leading to knock-on health benefits such as lower cholesterol levels and lowered blood pressure.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting strives to broaden the availability of the drugs on the NHS to reduce the burden on the Health Service and boost employment, claiming that ‘our widening waistbands’ are ‘holding back our economy’.
On average, persons who suffer from obesity-related illnesses use four more sick days annually.
But a Government source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Obviously, everyone can see the health benefits. But some people in the Treasury are worried about the impact on the pension crisis. Obesity is a big killer.
‘And if people are starting to live a lot longer because they’re not overweight, that’s quickly going to become an issue. Especially if we’re going to see it regularly being prescribed on the NHS, as Wes is advocating.’
The state pension age will officially increase next year from 66 to 67, and then again to 68 between 2044 and 2046 – although increasing pressure on public funds means an impending pension review by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall could hike that age further.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing a £50 billion ‘fiscal hole’ in the public finances she will need to close in Autumn’s Budget: measures considered include tighter inheritance tax rules and an increase in ‘sin taxes’ on tobacco and gambling.
The triple lock protection for the state pension is also becoming a growing burden, with spiking inflation expected to push the total amount to £12,451 next year – a £478 increase from its present level of £11,973.
According to the predictions, the state pension will cost the Exchequer £151.42 billion that year, £430 million higher than the £150.99 billion bill expected as a result of previous Bank of England inflation forecasts.
Mr Streeting hopes the weight-loss jabs will lessen the burden on the NHS’s budget, which will increase by 3.3 per cent next year to £192 billion.
So, there is concern about having to finance older British citizens, but nothing about financing migrants who come to our shores.
The UK is losing a lot of money because of migrants.
In the financial year 2023/24, the expense of operating the UK’s asylum system grew to £5.4 billion, mainly due to increased reliance on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers.
The Home Office expected to spend £482 million on immigration enforcement in 2023-24.
What was the amount paid for the Rwanda Scheme before it was abandoned?
Payments were intended to support economic development in Rwanda. The total of £270 million was paid into the Exchange-Traded Investment Fund. This breaks down to £120 million in April 2022, £100 million in April 2023 and £50 million in April 2024 to 2 December 2024.
The Government’s impact assessment of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 estimated that the cost of providing public services to a UK national was about £12,000 per person, according to Hansard. This implies a substantial expense of supporting an expanding population.
But our government will use any excuse to dodge paying their own citizens a pension because they’re plunging to new levels of low.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 