Is Being Overweight a Pre-Existing Condition?

Many factors contribute to your health insurance premiums. This includes age, race, and gender. Another factor that can contribute is a pre-existing condition. A pre-existing condition is defined as a medical condition that already exists before you obtain your health insurance. Some insurers may not cover the pre-existing condition for the duration of the said condition. The exclusion period of the pre-existing period varies from one insurance company to the other. It also varies according to the state in where the policy is issued, because state law regulates the terms and the conditions of insurance policies.

Pre-existing conditions are usually chronic conditions and conditions which require a large sum of money. Some examples of these conditions are diabetes, heart problems and asthma. And, for some policies, simply being overweight can be considered a pre-existing condition. An insurance company may possibly exclude you from purchasing a policy if you are overweight.

Insurance companies use a system for determining whether your height and weight calculation fall under the acceptable range. They calculate for your BMI, or your “body mass index”. This gives an estimate of body fat. Those who have a BMI of over 43 are more likely not to be considered for traditional health coverage. If your BMI falls between 29 and 43, then you might be offered a health insurance with a higher premium.

Basically, the lower your weight and BMI, the lower your health insurance premium will be. If you wish to look for a lower quote, you may discuss weight loss options with your doctor. Your health insurance company may also be able to provide you with information about what you can do to lower the costs.

While most overweight people can still get individual health insurance, those who are morbidly obese are more often than not denied because of the higher risk that they carry. Nonetheless, there are still a number of options for getting insured even if you are morbidly obese. One of these options is to join a group plan. By law, group plans may not reject applicants because of pre-existing conditions. Unfortunately, the benefits that you may receive from a group plan may be significantly less than an independent health care plan.

Why is being overweight considered a pre-existing condition?
It has been shown through studies that excess weight is dangerous and can lead to different kinds of diseases and conditions. It can lead to heart conditions, diabetes, and many more. Because of this, a number of insurance companies have decided that insuring overweight people may be a risk for the business. These insurance companies predict that people who are overweight will have a larger number of medical issues, and will need to make more claims. As mentioned, some insurance companies will not exclude an overweight person from purchasing a premium, but the premium may have a higher cost to be able to compensate for the extra claims.

Even if you are overweight, it is not impossible to find a reasonable insurance quote. Be sure to get several quotes from different companies, as the quotes that you will be given will most likely vary.