Rising health care costs make it necessary to have some form of protection for serious illnesses and injuries. Health insurance plans provide this protection in the form of coverage for hospital stays, emergency room visits, medications and other medical needs. Obesity, defined by the Obesity Society as excess fat tissue, makes it more difficult to qualify for health coverage.
Significance
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 34 percent of non-institutionalized adult Americans were obese in 2005-2006. Obesity affects the cost of health care, so health insurance premiums increase as the number of obese people increases. This means that people at healthy weights have to pay more for their health coverage. Obesity also affects employers by increasing group health coverage costs and contributing to the problem of workplace absenteeism.
Premiums
Some health insurance companies use the body mass index measurement to determine if an applicant is obese. The BMI is a measure of a person's weight compared to his height. Insurance companies may charge higher premiums for those who have high BMI measurements. Some insurance companies deny individual applicants with high BMI measurements. A BMI of 30.0 or greater indicates obesity, according to Insure.com.
Coverage
Many insurance plans do not provide coverage for medications and procedures that would reduce the weight of obese patients. Some of the products and services not covered include gastric bypass surgery, weight control counseling and medications to control appetite. This makes it even more difficult for those who need to lose weight to do so in a healthy way. Most insurance plans do cover treatment for the consequences of diabetes, such as surgery for heart disease or medications for high blood pressure.
Pre-existing Conditions
If you have a pre-existing condition associated with obesity, you must carefully consider your health insurance options. Good Neighbor Insurance defines a pre-existing condition as an illness or injury that first appeared within 12 months of the effective date of a new health insurance policy. If you receive a diagnosis of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, high triglycerides or other obesity-related complication before applying for a new insurance policy, you may have difficulty finding a policy without high premiums or a high deductible.
Considerations
If you want to improve your chance of getting insurance coverage, reduce your weight by making appropriate lifestyle changes. Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. Reduce your consumption of red meat by getting protein from fish, chicken, beans, nuts and seeds. Avoid consuming high amounts of saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol. Making these lifestyle changes could reduce your weight and decrease your monthly health insurance premium.
References
- The Obesity Society: What is Obesity
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Obesity and Overweight
- Insure.com: Being Overweight Can Pump Up Your Insurance Quotes
- Good Neighbor Insurance: Understanding Insurance - Pre-existing Conditions
- Economic Research Service: Health Insurance, Obesity and Its Economic Costs
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