Is Your Weight Making You Pay More for Health Insurance?

These days Americans are sick of rising health care costs and insurance premiums that are increasing faster than their incomes.

And that’s not all that’s increasing.

A landmark study conducted by the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recently offered some eye-opening statistics.

Over the course of a 30-year research period,

• 9 out of 10 men and 7 out of 10 adult women were overweight or became overweight
• 1 out of 3 adults were obese or became obese

If this trend continues, the majority of adults will become dangerously overweight at some point in their lives.

Weighing the Costs

A weight problem is nothing to shrug off. Being overweight increases your chances of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, breathing problems, some types of cancer, osteoarthritis and more.

And footing those bills isn’t cheap! The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that $117 billion in health costs in 2000 were linked to obesity-related disease.

Think that doesn’t affect you? If the number of Americans hospitalized for weight-related medical problems continues to grow, everyone’s insurance premiums and health care costs are likely to rise.

Extra Pounds Pack Dollars onto Your Insurance Premiums

If you’re obese you might face additional challenges when searching for health insurance than your skinny counterparts. Because extra weight poses significant health risks, insurers are more likely to reject your application for coverage.

And when you do find insurance, you could wind up paying a lot more in premiums, just because of your weight.

Battling the Bulge

Obesity is not the sole reason for increasing insurance costs, but unlike other hot issues like out-of-control prescription drug prices, it’s not clear exactly what role the government should play in solving the problem.

But it is clear what people concerned about health insurance costs and their health can do to avoid these preventable costs: Get fit, and stay fit!