There is no doubt that a number of health conditions can make it difficult to obtain life insurance. Sometimes the consumer winds up paying more just to secure the same coverage as a healthy person or they find themselves getting turned down flat because they are just too high risk.
Weight is a sensitive issue for many people. Whether it is due to some other health factor, genetics or lifestyle choices, being overweight is a serious issue for many Americans. Because weight problems can and do often lead to other serious issues such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, heart attacks and strokes, it can be downright next to impossible for an overweight person to obtain an inexpensive life insurance policy, at least in the mainstream.
What They Look For
When you apply for life insurance, the insurance company will take into account your age, medical history, and other lifestyle factors that make you a low or high risk customer. When it comes to your weight, the number on the scale will make a difference, but they will take this is account compared to your body size and build. They will consider your weight in proportion to your height and bone structure in order to determine what kinds of risk factor your weight poses to your future health. The more you weigh in relation to the size of your body, the more health risks you are likely to face. This could wind up costing you a lot in insurance premiums.
Your Options
To the insurance company, the “ideal customer” is one who lives a healthy lifestyle, poses little to no risk factors and expects to live a long and healthy life. In a perfect world, this would make sense. However, accidents happen, none of us are promised tomorrow, and more and more Americans are facing weight challenges each and every day. Now, if you absolutely feel that you need to have insurance from some well-known, mainstream life insurance company, odds are, you will have to obtain what discounts you can (if there are any) and just bite the bullet, paying whatever you have to in order to keep the coverage. If at any time in the future, you do lose weight, your rate could come down.
If you find it unfair that you have to pay more for life insurance because of your overweight status or see those rates as much too high, you might be able to find lower-priced coverage by going with an insurance company that does not ask a lot about your medical history and requires no medical exam or a company that specializes in insuring the higher risk groups. While you won’t get an exceptionally favorable rate, you’ll still save some money over going with the other guys.
Your other option is weight loss. Do this only under the supervision of a medical doctor. Weight loss is often easier said than done, but set realistic goals and do not get discouraged. You can do this by keeping the right motivation in mind. Don’t do it for the insurance alone and do not lose weight because you’re aiming to look like some model you saw on TV or in a magazine. Do it for you and your health alone. In the end, you will feel better, have more self-esteem, be healthier and might just find a better insurance rate after all.
