On cost-effective policy interventions, the relevant costs are for us to try to convince governments to adopt them, not the government costs themselves, and the outcomes should be weighed by our probability of success. Government costs can of course matter for the probability of success, though.
Impacts on government spending and revenues would also be outcomes, not direct costs. If I recall correctly, some studies have found that people with obesity (or with diabetes or who smoke) cost less healthcare than average over their lifetimes, although health issues may also cost them productivity. Plausibly these indirect effects are all dominated by the direct effects on people with obesity, at least in the short term.
On cost-effective policy interventions, the relevant costs are for us to try to convince governments to adopt them, not the government costs themselves, and the outcomes should be weighed by our probability of success. Government costs can of course matter for the probability of success, though.
Impacts on government spending and revenues would also be outcomes, not direct costs. If I recall correctly, some studies have found that people with obesity (or with diabetes or who smoke) cost less healthcare than average over their lifetimes, although health issues may also cost them productivity. Plausibly these indirect effects are all dominated by the direct effects on people with obesity, at least in the short term.