Life insurance and weight loss connection

Are you aware that life insurance applications can be rejected on the basis of the weight of the applicant? Yes, a person, under-weight or over-weight, may witness the life policy rejection as not maintaining the accurate weight can also posses a huge risk to the life. Thus, weight implies significant repercussions on the life insurance policy and its various aspects such as premium, rejection or approval, or reconsideration.

Life insurance companies have several parameters to charge the premium such as age, income, profession, and highly important health. In fact, the insurance companies check the applicant’s height and weight at the time of medical tests to diagnose his/her health condition and life expectancy on the basis of current weight to check if a person is obese, under-weight or maintaining the right weight to live a healthy life. The premium calculation is also based on the weight condition, therefore, life insurance companies charge premiums accordingly to cover the maximum risk carried by the policyholder.

Life insurances companies refer to the build charts to determine the ratio of height and weight, that are compared against the mortality rate within applicant’s measurements to assess the risk rating. In case an applicant is underweight or overweight than the ideal weight then the premium is charged high than normal, or even the application is rejected altogether.

Talking about the risk, then it is considered that overweight or obese people carry higher chances of diabetes, stroke, heart disease, or any physical or mental critical diseases. And in the scenario of anorexic health conditions, there are severe diseases such as anemia, low immunity, or osteoporosis that a person can be exposed to.

Indeed, losing weight is a wise option before purchasing a plan, however, it can’t be majorly responsible to affect the premium because the route followed to lose the excess weight, its after-effects on health and the prior impact of abnormal weight conditions on the future also plays a crucial role in the underwriting of the plan.

But having a not ideal way is not the end, the person with extra or lesser weight having a life insurance plan can still achieve healthy body weight and have the desired modifications done in the life insurance plan, provided the life insurance company offers an option of reevaluation.

An applicant with such conditions must check for the re-evaluation provision and its process as most life insurance companies demand significant and healthy weight loss transition and maintained as well before reflecting in the life insurance premium. Though, the policyholder will have to undergo a fresh medical diagnosis at the time of re-evaluation and evaluate health conditions. While weight loss is a compelling factor in this but the sustained health condition also makes a positive impact on the re-evaluation part as the person shouldn’t have affected his/her health in the due course of weight loss. However, losing weight due to a disease or illness doesn’t signify good health.

In order to put the life insurance plan into reconsideration, the policyholder needs to apply for the re-evaluation with the concerned department of the insurance company. It may require a policyholder to undergo a fresh medical check-up from the physician or authorized pathological lab. And in a scenario, a life insurance company doesn’t permit re-evaluation, the person can go apply for a new life insurance plan at a different company and can leverage for new benefits at a reasonable premium cost.

The author is the founder and CEO, PolicyX.com.