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Being overweight or obese has well-documented implications for long-term health. Your weight is one of the things that will be considered on an application for life insurance.

Obesity is often considered a pre-existing conditions, and an insurer may charge higher premiums or deny you if you’re considered a high risk. However, every insurance company and every case is different. 

Here’s what you need to know before you apply for life insurance if you’re overweight or obese.

Key Takeaways

  • People with a BMI over 25 are generally considered overweight, while a BMI of 30 is considered obese.
  • Life insurance companies consider overweight or obese people to be at a higher risk of premature death due to the health conditions associated with being overweight.
  • You may still qualify for a traditional life insurance policy at a higher rate, or may need to apply for a no-medical-exam policy.

 

Can you get life insurance when you’re overweight?

Yes, you can get life insurance if you’re overweight. However, whether you’re approved depends on several factors:

  • Your family history
  • Your age 
  • Whether you have other pre-existing conditions

Insurers use a height and weight table to help determine their risk of insuring you. This table is similar to Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a measure of your weight in relation to your height. A BMI in the range of 25 to 30 is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 and over is deemed obese.

Each insurer has its own height and weight chart. Some companies are more lenient than others in categorizing applicants who are overweight.

If you’re overweight, you could still be approved for a policy. However, if you have other more serious pre-existing conditions — like diabetes or heart disease — you may end up in a higher risk category. The higher risk rating means higher premiums if you’re approved. If you’re older, you also could be rated in a higher risk class Seniors often have several comorbidities, or multiple health conditions, that make them higher risk. If someone is overweight and older, this only adds to the risk for insurers.

Despite the likelihood of higher premiums, being overweight puts you in a better position to get life insurance than if you’re obese, says John Barnes of My Family Life Insurance, an independent insurance agency in Andover, Mass.

“If someone is considered obese, [they] likely will be declined for life insurance or have a high rating [in terms of their premium],” Barnes says.

Barnes adds that it’s important to maintain a consistent weight before you apply for life insurance.

“Generally speaking, carriers want at minimum 12 months of consistent weight. Otherwise, they will add half of the weight loss back to your current weight to establish the weight for your application. Carriers argue that, more often than not, people will gain the weight back,” he says.

What life insurance options are there for people who are overweight or obese?

You have other options if you can’t get approved for traditional life insurance. Depending on your situation, you may be able to get coverage without undergoing a medical exam or, in some cases, even answering questions.

However, your height and weight will likely still be required information and may still affect your options.

No medical exam life insurance

You might be able to get a policy through an instant approval life insurance program.

Instant approval, which is common with term life insurance, involves an accelerated insurance underwriting process. You answer questions about your medical history and your age, weight, height and lifestyle habits. An insurance company uses these details to determine your life expectancy and risk class. The insurer makes an instant decision about whether to approve you for a policy. You don’t take a medical exam. 

Barnes says it’s possible for someone who is overweight to be instantly approved for life insurance, “but it really depends on the severity of the situation. If the person is very overweight, instant approval probably is not available.”

Guaranteed issue life insurance

If you can’t get traditional life insurance, a guaranteed issue policy may be another alternative.

With guaranteed issue insurance, you don’t have to answer any health questions to get a policy. However, the main drawback is that these policies come with higher premiums for less coverage. For example, it’s common to see benefit amounts as low as $5,000.

Final expense insurance, also known as burial insurance, is one form of guaranteed issue insurance that people who can’t qualify for a traditional policy may want to consider. These policies also can be simplified issue, which involves answering a few health questions. 

Final expense insurance offers a cash benefit that your loved ones can use to pay for funeral expenses. Though benefit amounts for these policies are small compared to traditional life insurance, they offer families some financial assistance when they need it most.

Permanent vs. term life insurance

Whether you decide to apply for permanent or term life insurance likely depends on your budget and insurance needs.

Whole and universal life policies are permanent life insurance that includes a cash value component. Cash value allows the policyholder to access while he or she is still alive. Permanent insurance is significantly more expensive than term life insurance, which has no cash value component. Benefits expire after a set term.

Barnes says someone who has a family, a mortgage or other assets may need more life insurance than a single person who doesn’t have dependents who would need financial assistance. He says someone in the latter situation should consider a permanent policy or final expense insurance to cover burial expenses.

However, the choice between permanent and term life insurance depends mainly on whether you’re insurable in the first place. If you’re approved for a policy, you need to weigh the factors that Barnes mentioned, along with what premiums you can afford, to determine what type of life insurance best suits your needs.

Your weight and life insurance: Final thoughts

Whether you’re overweight or within the “normal” BMI range, your weight will likely fluctuate over your lifetime.

Changing weight doesn’t mean that you can’t ever get life insurance or that you have to settle for higher rates. Barnes suggests never holding off on getting life insurance. You always can negotiate a lower premium later if you maintain a consistent weight (typically, for at least 12 months).

“You could always ask the carrier for a revised, lower premium. The carrier will usually have an examiner confirm the weight and apply any premium reduction,” Barnes says.

The bottom line is that having some form of life insurance usually is better than going without coverage altogether. Being overweight may initially put you in a higher risk class, but by taking steps to improve your health, you might be able to get a better rating and qualify for a more affordable policy that provides the financial protection your family needs.

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