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Life insurance for High BMI.
It is possible to get life insurance if you have a High BMI.
As life insurance specialists, we will find the right policy to protect you and your loved ones.
Your Guide to Obesity Life Insurance.
The Insurance Surgery is a specialist life insurance broker. If you’ve got a complex medical history and this has led to your BMI increasing, then please talk to us.
We take the time to get to know you, and we understand your medical background. Where online algorithms or comparison websites say no, we do what we can to say yes.
How High BMI | Obesity life insurance works.
Life insurance pays out if you were to pass away, and is measured through how much of a risk a provider calculates you at. We can look at your circumstances and find the right type of insurance for you and your family.
There are a number of key areas that are taken into account when underwriting high BMI life insurance:
General Health questions:
- Height, weight and waist measurement/dress size
- Smoking status
- Alcohol consumption
- Any regular medication you are taking
- Medical history
- Any surgery, treatment or if you’re currently awaiting surgery
- Any other medical conditions
Medical conditions:
- Do you have high cholesterol?
- Do you have high blood pressure?
- Do you have type 2 diabetes?
Life Insurance Needs:
- Do you know what type of policy you’re looking for?
- How much is left to pay on your mortgage/any outstanding debt(s)?
- How much cover do you want to take out?
3 tips to lower your premium with a high BMI.
Reduce Alcohol intake
Excessive alcohol can lead to health issues such as liver disease, heart problems, and increased risk of certain cancers. By reducing alcohol intake, individuals can improve their overall health and lower monthly premiums.
Stop smoking or vaping
Smoking significantly shortens life expectancy. By quitting smoking for 12 months or more, individuals increase their chances of living longer, which can translate into more affordable life insurance premiums over the long term.
Reduce High BMI or Weight
Life insurance companies assess an individual’s risk profile when determining premiums. Obesity is considered a risk factor for various health complications and premature death. Reducing your weight can result in lower insurance premiums.
Providing Honest Information.
It is never a good idea to give inaccurate information when you are taking out a life insurance policy. An inaccurate BMI can invalidate your policy if you or your family need to claim against it.
We take the time to get to know you, and we understand your medical background. Where online algorithms or comparison websites say no, we do what we can to say yes.
That’s because we believe everyone deserves to have lasting financial protection.
Choose The Insurance Surgery.
Our team of specialist experts can offer you free and impartial advice, making the process of finding the best life insurance for you and your family. Here’s why you can trust us:
Best Specialist Intermediary 2023
Rated 'Excellent' on Trustpilot
More than 25 years of experience
Access to wide range of insurers
How Much Does Obesity Life Insurance Cost?
The cost of high BMI life insurance will depend on your personal circumstances and the type of policy you’re interested in. This means that we can’t give you an exact quote without knowing your details, such as your age, the amount of cover you need, the length of the policy, and your BMI.
But we can give a few case study examples of a high BMI life insurance cost.
Top tip: The Younger you are the cheaper life insurance can be.
Life insurance premiums tend to be lower for younger people. It’s often because, at a younger age, you may have fewer health conditions. That’s why it’s worth looking into life insurance cover as early as possible.
1. Cost of High BMI Life Insurance Case Study.
Sally is 43 years old. She has two young children and wants to ensure their financial future is secure. Sally has a BMI of 34, which categorises her as obese. She has no underlying health conditions, but she has a sedentary lifestyle, which has led to her weight gain. Sally is embarking on a new health kick, which will see her aim to increase her daily step count and improve her general diet.
Monthly premiums: £41.08
Duration of policy: 35 year term
Total cover amount: £250,000.00
Over 35 years, Sally would pay out £492.96 per year or a total of £17253.60 in exchange for a potential £250,000 payout for her children.
2. Cost of High BMI Life Insurance Case Study.
Stephen is a heavy drinker and smokes regularly. He also has arthritis in his knees, which also limits how much activity he can do. His BMI is 41, which classifies him as morbidly obese. He’s been declined elsewhere for life insurance, but he would like a whole life policy, with £250,000 cover to give his family lasting financial protection.
Total Cover Amount: £250,000.00
Monthly Premium Cost: £67.89
Duration of Policy: 20 Years
Critical Illness Cover.
What is Critical illness cover?
If you are diagnosed with one of the illnesses listed in your policy after you have taken the policy out. Critical illness cover will give you a lump sum. Most critical illness policies will cover:
- Cancer
- Stroke
- Liver or kidney failure
- Heart attack
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Major organ transplant
You should be able to get critical illness cover policy if you are overweight, as long as you are within a certain BMI level. Most insurers will offer critical illness cover to people with a BMI of less than 40 with no issues.
When you apply for critical illness cover, there are some things you need to consider:
- Your Annual Income (after tax)
- Your annual mortgage or rent payments
- Your annual cost of living
- How much you pay on bills per month
- Any other costs across the year including medical treatment.
You can find out how critical illness cover works here.
Income Protection.
While life insurance will protect your loved ones financially once you’re gone, income protection will pay you a regular income if you’re unable to work due to ill health or injury.
Income protection can cover your essential living expenses, such as your mortgage, rent, bills, and groceries until you recover or retire. However, finding income protection if you’re overweight can be challenging because insurers may impose certain exclusions or limitations on your policy.
What is an ‘Exclusion’?
Exclusions are conditions or events that aren’t covered by your income protection / critical illness or life insurance policy.
For example, if you have a high BMI and develop a weight-related condition like diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease, your insurer may exclude any claims related to that condition.
This means that if you can’t work because of that condition, you won’t receive any benefit/income from your income protection policy.
Or your insurer may offer you a policy with a higher premium, a lower benefit amount, or a longer waiting period before you can claim.
When you call us, we’ll outline any particular issues or waiting periods from the outset. We don’t expect you to understand how income protection works or what the terms and conditions of your policy mean. Instead, we’ll take the time to chat it all through in detail so you feel comfortable that you’ve got a plan that is likely to pay out when you need it to.
Frequently Asked Questions
We answer your most frequently asked questions.
There are a few ways to reduce the cost of your life insurance premiums if you are classed as overweight or obese, and the payments seem a little out of reach for you.
If you are finding the policies to be unaffordable, we can look at the following ways to reduce those monthly payments:
Reduce Cover
Taking out less cover can make it more affordable. You may want to just cover your funeral costs or the amount of mortgage you have left to pay off, rather than leaving behind an additional lump sum for your children or partner.
Reduce The Policy Term
Taking out a policy over a shorter period can help you to cut the cost. This could work for you if you are older, your children have already moved out and started their own lives and you have nothing left to pay on the mortgage.
Quit Smoking
It may be easier said than done, but a non-smoker will get much cheaper premiums that a smoker in all situations. This includes whether you have a medical condition, are overweight or are otherwise healthy. After 12 months of quitting smoking, you will be classed as a non-smoker.
Lower BMI
Again, this can be difficult to do but losing weight and lowering your BMI is the best way to reduce your life insurance costs.
We offer a free review service to ensure you have the right of cover at the right price. You can read more about this on our Life Insurance Review page.
No fee is payable at any part of the process with us. We are paid a commission by the insurer when you take a policy out. This is how we cover our costs and deliver you a completely free service.
If you do change your circumstances in any way, we can take a look at your existing policy to make sure you still have the best cover. We find a lot of people need to take a look at their policy if they have started a family, moved house, taken out a mortgage or have a new job.
If you have significantly reduced your weight, we can review your policy at any time to search for cheaper cover. You may have managed to lose enough weight to be able to take out life insurance now, whereas before you have struggled to find cover. If you have already got a life insurance policy in place, your premiums may be reduced now that your BMI is lower.
We understand that losing weight can be difficult for many people. It is something that takes a lot of hard work and determination, and it is a long haul process. You do not need to hit your “ideal” weight before contacting us. Even if you have managed to reduce your BMI slightly, it could make a big difference in your premiums and offer you better protection for a lower monthly payment.
Remember that your GP can support you in losing weight and help you find the healthiest way to do it through a balanced diet and exercise.
Insurers may want a postponement period following any surgery. However, this will depend on what procedure you have had. Different weight loss surgery options have different effects on your body, so you will need to discuss this when applying for a life insurance policy. You will also need to take into consideration when you had the surgery, as recovery times and results can vary.
Our experienced team can advise you on what options are available to you. If you need to postpone full cover, this doesn’t mean you need to go without any protection at all.
The Insurance Surgery can help you arrange interim cover in this period that would exclude pre-existing conditions. Our advisers carry out regular reviews and will contact you to update your cover following the specified postponement time.
The Insurance Surgery works to help people find Obesity Life Insurance regularly. We understand how the insurance providers will view your application. As an experienced broker, we know what information insurers will require.
We can obtain any medical reports etc that may be needed to ensure your application is successful and cover is secured. We do all the hard work by researching the best policies from the best insurers so you don’t have to.
The average monthly premium for our customers with high BMI = £23.96. (data source: The Insurance Surgery customer data).
If you already have life insurance before a cancer diagnosis, you may have suitable cover in place to protect you and your loved ones. If you’re unsure about your policy, please speak to a member of our team – we can look at your current policy details and confirm what current cover is in place.
If we believe that we can find you a better life insurance deal that offers better cover, or lower premiums we will make our recommendations. We will only ever suggest a switch to a new life insurance provider if we think that it is the right option for you.
How to Claim.
Contact Your Broker
To make a claim go through the insurance broker or provider you took the cover with. This not only takes the weight off your shoulders at this stressful time but also helps speed up the claim process.
Start the admin Process
Depending on the type of policy you have, ways to make a claim can vary. You will initiate the claim process either via telephone, email or post for Life Insurance, Critical Illness Cover and Income Protection.
Provide information
Once the claim has been received your insurance provider will then request the necessary evidence in order to assess the claim. This can include but is not limited to death certificates, GP reports and specialist letters.
For more information, check out our latest blogs.
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Useful Links.
Give us a call to see how we can help you to get obesity life insurance. Our freephone number is 0800 083 2829.
For more information and support on Obesity, please find a list of resources and charities here: