Life Insurers Use The Body Mass Index To Tighten The Belt On Fat
People

Overweight people are in the firing line again Life insurance
companies are increasing premiums up to four fold for fat
people They’ve always charged more for those of us who
over-eat, but during the last year the penalties have got worse
In moves to tighten the belts further, the life insurers are
lowering the weight limits they use to categorise people This
tougher move means that those who are merely overweight and
would have previously qualified for a standard premium, are now
penalised with higher premiums – and the premium rapidly rises
the more overweight they believe you are
Height and weight are just two of the questions you have to
answer when you apply for life insurance From them, the life
company calculates your Body Mass Index and if that exceeds the
limits they define as acceptable, they might ask for a doctor’s
report In bigger cases they might ask you to have a medical
examination If this confirms that your weight is of concern,
then you can expect your premium to be loaded by at least 50%
and as much as 400% if you’re really obese Recent research
shows that around 25% of applicants will experience problems
getting life cover due to their weight In extreme cases the
insurer will even refuse the application
In an acknowledgement of normal middle age spread, the insurance
companies do take your age into account when deciding your
premium They accept that people naturally tend to put weight on
as they age If you’re young and overweight, however, they’ll
certainly hit you hard So overweight and 38 will be hit much
harder than overweight and 58
For example, a non smoking healthy man aged 35 asking for
£150,000 level cover over 25 years will currently be quoted
£1877 by Scottish Provident but this could easily jump to £35
if he is overweight and up to £47 if he’s obese
And obesity is certainly a growing problem Over the last 20
years obesity in adults has rocketed with more than 60% of men
and 50% of women being judged as overweight or obese And signs
are that the problem won’t improve In children aged between 2
and 15, 28% of girls and 22% of boys are overweight
How do you rate on the Body Mass Index?
Calculate your own BMI
Note your weight in pounds and multiply it by 703
Divide the result by your height measured in inches
Again divide the resulting number by your height in inches
The result is your BMI
The typical insurance company considers a BMI of between 185
and 249 to as normal Above 25 classifies you as overweight
Over 30 and you’re obese
To give you more of a fix on what this means for you, here are
the BMI’s for twelve famous people:
Under weight
Paula Radcliffe – Marathon Runner – 180
Victoria Beckham – Footballers Wife – 170
Jennifer Aniston – Actress – 175
Normal weight
Alan Shearer – Newcastle Footballer – 244
Davina McCall – TV Presenter – 208
Cilla Black – Presenter – 207
Overweight
Russell Crowe – Hollywood Actor – 256
Ann Widdecombe – MP – 251
Charlie Dimmock – Gardening Presenter – 260
Obese
Norman Schwarzkopf – US General – 305
Michelle McManus – Presenter – 344
Dawn French – Comedienne – 438

Tags | belts, cases, companies, extreme, insurance, insurer, middle, obesity, provident, scottish