Life Insurance: The Better You Look, the More You Save?
The more you weigh in relation to your height, the more likely you are to have health complications and a premature death. Given this fact, it’s not surprising that companies consider your weight when you apply for a policy. Your insurer will use a formula based on your weight in proportion to your height in order to determine part of your premiums. Comparing your heaviness to your height gives the provider an indication of your “physical build,” and heavy people will obviously pay higher premiums. With the impact your health has on your costs, it’s important that you take advantage of potential savings if you’ve recently succeeded in losing pounds. In this post, we’ll explain more about the correlation between health and insurance premiums.
Obesity is an epidemic in America, where 67% of people are overweight. One-third of these Americans are obese. If you’re in these categories, you are at higher risk for a dizzying array of medical problems, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and more. But the costs of those extra pounds don’t stop there. As far as premiums go, just an extra 20 or 30 pounds can disqualify you from getting the best premiums. Even if you don’t have any other health problems, you will probably only get the “normal” rates if you are considered unhealthy. This could mean you will pay double the premiums that someone in the “preferred” category would pay.
Shed Those Pounds to Save
To get the best rates on your policy, you want to make sure that you stay within the recommended range for your height. Most insurers have tables that provide guidelines by gender and height. You can request a copy to determine your ideal range. If you have recently lost some pounds and have been able to keep it off, make sure you let your insurer know. You can request another medical exam, after which you might qualify for better pricing. If your insurer will not provide you with lower costs, it might be time to shop around for a different policy. Insurers have different guidelines, so you might be able to get preferred rates with a number of other insurers.
Usually, most overweight policyholders are fairly close to the threshold for preferred rates. For these consumers, a few simple lifestyle adjustments could make a world of difference with their premiums. For severely obese policyholders, you might think about consulting a nutritionist or other medical provider for assistance in achieving your health goals. Not only will you feel better, but you will save a lot of money on your policy.