Get car insurance quotes online instantly to save!

Article: Finding affordable health insurance if you're battling obesity:

By: Kade Phillips, contributing writer at kanetix.com.

Sometimes, obesity is due to genetic predisposition or chemical imbalance. However, it's usually an issue with how many calories we consume, versus how many we burn each day. Cheap and tasty but low quality food snacks, coupled with relentless advertising of such, makes it easy to overeat and pay the price. Over time, being severely overweight can have a dramatic impact on not only our health and sense of well-being, but our finances as well.

As the state of health care becomes increasingly stressed (at least in the United States), more and more people are realizing that health insurance can be costly to acquire. Even worse, if you're already insured, your policy may not offer sufficient coverage. For those who struggle with obesity, the problem is exacerbated. Though obesity can lead to health conditions that are typically covered by most policies, obesity itself is often not considered an illness. This may preclude treatment.

Why obesity matters
Besides the challenge of finding clothes that fit comfortably, obesity has long-term health and financial impacts. Those who suffer from it can develop cardiovascular problems, Type 2 diabetes and become vulnerable to a variety of other health issues. Health insurance companies realize that severely overweight people typically have shorter lifespans than others. As a result, they're less-inclined to insure them, or if they do, they often charge much more than they otherwise would.

Health insurance can be priced out of reach
The health care costs associated with treating conditions related to obesity tend to be high. To compensate for the risk of insuring those who will likely one day need medical attention, health insurers can attach premiums to policies that make them cost-prohibitive. These companies are ultimately in business to make a profit, and they can view those who are obese, as a poor business risk because their likelihood of developing health problems while insured are dramatically higher than other policyholders.

How your body mass index affects your rates
To calculate the premiums on a policy, many health insurance companies use your BMI (Body Mass Index). Your BMI is simply a calculation that takes your weight and height into account. If your BMI is high, it may mean you're overweight. When you shop for health insurance, insurers will use your BMI as a barometer to measure whether you're likely to experience health conditions in the future as a result of your weight.

A high BMI will nearly always result in higher health insurance premiums. In the case that your BMI indicates you are morbidly obese, insurers may decline your application. As mentioned, this is due to the high likelihood that you'll experience medical problems due to your weight. As the cost of health care spirals ever higher, insurers have become unwilling to wager on having to cover those costs.

Will health insurance cover obesity?
If you're clinically obese and are offered a health insurance policy, you should understand that many health insurers won't pay the expenses of treating your obesity. While they will treat the conditions that may result (heart disease, diabetes, etc.), some insurers don't consider obesity an illness. Even if you're genetically predisposed toward being severely overweight and require medications for the condition, it's possible that many insurers will refuse to cover the expenses.

Lowering your rates by slimming down
Obviously, the best way to secure a health insurance policy with reasonable rates is to take any necessary steps to slim down. But, obesity plagues millions of people who need coverage right now. Especially because there's a likelihood of potential life-threatening health conditions that may impact their lives in the future. Keep in mind that if you're paying high premiums on your policy due to your weight, you can work to bring your BMI down over time. Most health insurance companies are willing to offer you lower rates once their risk of covering future conditions is reduced.

Lowering your rates with smart insurance shopping
Regardless of a persons weight, each insurance company views the risk to insure someone slightly differently. These differences in opinion can result in fairly large differences in price from one company to another for basically the same kind of coverage.

With this in mind, it is always a good idea to compare multiple health insurance quotes and plans before you decide to purchase. kanetix can help you find the affordable health care coverage that you are seeking. Compare health insurance quotes today!


Kade Phillips is a contributing writer at kanetix.com,
Serving free health insurance quotes nationwide.
For the Health Insurance you need, Visit kanetix for Free Quotes


Disclaimer - The above description/explanation is intended as a guideline only, and is not to be interpreted as a recommendation to buy or sell any insurance products, or to provide legal or financial advice of any kind. Also, Kanetix Ltd. does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed.

Our articles cannot be reproduced or republished in any way or form without written consent from Kanetix Ltd.- Click here to ask for permission. You may use our RSS feed with an active link to our site. Click here to get our RSS feed.

© 2008 Kanetix Ltd. All rights reserved.