Obesity – How Is It Linked With Your Health Insurance Policy?

Did you know that your premium varies with insurance providers? Insurers decide the premium they will offer to you at the time of underwriting. As you know, different policies come with different features. Some offer more for the same premium than others do. That is why it is important to check out several insurance policies before deciding on one, so that you get your money’s worth.

What affects the decision of how much to charge you?

Insurers will ask you to disclose personal information such as your medical history. Based on the information you provide, your insurer will determine how much premium you have to pay.Now we come to the question, will an insurer refuse to have any dealings with you if you are overweight? No! By law, an insurer cannot deny you of a health policy on the grounds of obesity. But it will have an impact on how much you have to pay for your policy.

• People with obesity have to fork out a steeper premium because they are high-risk individuals. Obesity is linked to a series of dangerous illnesses like-
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Osteoarthritis
• Heart attacks
• Pulmonary embolism
• Stroke
• Cancers of the uterus, cervix, gall bladder, prostate, colon etc
• Sleep apnea
• Gout
• Asthma
• High levels of cholesterol that can cause sudden death without even triggering a heart attack or a stroke

In India, obesity is a rapidly escalating health crisis. Nearly 135 million people here are obese. Obesity is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular illnesses in India.Since obese people are more likely to fall ill than people with normal BMI, there are higher chances that the insurer would have to pay up one day. That is why to cover their risk, they will charge more if you are obese.

Can the insurer reject your claim?

If you obtain a health insurance policy and make a claim on it when you fall ill, an insurer cannot reject the claim simply because you are obese.But remember, if you withhold vital information regarding your health at the time of purchasing the policy, then your insurance provider may turn down your claim.

So what should you do?

If you don’t want to shell out all that extra money, we suggest that you lose weight. That is not your only incentive. If you slim down a little, it will drastically reduce your risk of contracting any of the illnesses we mentioned in the list above.

Conclusion

Obesity is a threat to your health. It may not prevent you from getting a health policy, but it sure increases the risk of your falling gravely ill. [av_promobox button='yes' label='Consult A Doctor on MediBuddy' link='https://www.medibuddy.in/?utm_source=blog_cta&utm_medium=blog' link_target='' color='blue' custom_bg='#f00' custom_font='#ffffff' size='large' icon_select='no' icon='ue800' font='entypo-fontello']Suffering from issues related to obesity? You can always get advices and help from doctors on MediBuddy.[/av_promobox] Sources:Outlookindia