Fit Or Fat Makes a Difference in Insurance Rates
It's true, your body mass index, or BMI, is an important rating factor when it comes to buying health insurance premiums; meaning, if you are far too heavy for your height, it will cost you more money to get decent health insurance.
This means that we are responsible, in large part, for what we pay for health care.
Radical thought that it may be, the health care system is in the mess it is today because we are over-using it and abusing it.
It's time we took responsibility for our personal health care choices.
The truth of the matter is, if we are overweight, our risk for serious illnesses shoots up exponentially.
Yes, health care insurance is all about covering you for potential sickness; however, if you choose to be heavier than what the insurance industry considers to be the norm, your rates go up to cover you for those personal choices to take risks with your health.
Yes, there are exceptions based on the reasons for your condition.
This is mostly a business decision and the bottom line is why would an insurance company, who operates on profit, want to take a risk on offering coverage to someone who is overweight and looking at some serious health issues as time passes? In other words, since insurance is a business, they will take smart risks on insuring those who will likely not have too many problems, but balk at covering someone who they know will not provide them with a profit.
Here are some industry averages; they will give you a snapshot of what to expect if you are curious about your BMI.
Say the average BMI for a man who is 5 feet 11 inches tall should be 215 pounds, if he weighs less, it is better for his wallet in the long run.
The average BMI for a woman who is 5 feet 5 inches tall indicates she should weigh about 180 pounds, which is really rather high on such a small frame.
However, if she weighs less, she gets a better insurance rate overall.
Again, these are just general examples and there are always exceptions to every rule.
If you want to know for sure where you are in the greater scheme of things, talk to a qualified health insurance agent who is able to explain how the system works.
If you don't like eating your veggies, fruits and nuts, exercising and doing things in moderation, be prepared to pay more when you go to sign-up for health insurance.
If you want to save money, then lose weight, keep fit and eat right.
This means that we are responsible, in large part, for what we pay for health care.
Radical thought that it may be, the health care system is in the mess it is today because we are over-using it and abusing it.
It's time we took responsibility for our personal health care choices.
The truth of the matter is, if we are overweight, our risk for serious illnesses shoots up exponentially.
Yes, health care insurance is all about covering you for potential sickness; however, if you choose to be heavier than what the insurance industry considers to be the norm, your rates go up to cover you for those personal choices to take risks with your health.
Yes, there are exceptions based on the reasons for your condition.
This is mostly a business decision and the bottom line is why would an insurance company, who operates on profit, want to take a risk on offering coverage to someone who is overweight and looking at some serious health issues as time passes? In other words, since insurance is a business, they will take smart risks on insuring those who will likely not have too many problems, but balk at covering someone who they know will not provide them with a profit.
Here are some industry averages; they will give you a snapshot of what to expect if you are curious about your BMI.
Say the average BMI for a man who is 5 feet 11 inches tall should be 215 pounds, if he weighs less, it is better for his wallet in the long run.
The average BMI for a woman who is 5 feet 5 inches tall indicates she should weigh about 180 pounds, which is really rather high on such a small frame.
However, if she weighs less, she gets a better insurance rate overall.
Again, these are just general examples and there are always exceptions to every rule.
If you want to know for sure where you are in the greater scheme of things, talk to a qualified health insurance agent who is able to explain how the system works.
If you don't like eating your veggies, fruits and nuts, exercising and doing things in moderation, be prepared to pay more when you go to sign-up for health insurance.
If you want to save money, then lose weight, keep fit and eat right.
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