Fat folk pay more premiums
Obese people may find that they are unable to purchase full life insurance policies or could find that their premiums are raised, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).Although losing weight could reduce premiums in the long-term, serious obesity, which constituted a massive health risk, if undisclosed at the point of application could lead to refusal when people attempt to make a claim.ABI spokesperson, Jonathan French, said that obesity could be counted as a lifestyle factor in the same way that smoking and consumption of alcohol can and could lead to exclusion clauses or inflated insurance premiums.Mr French said: "Lifestyle factors in general play a part in the assessment that insurance companies do on people when they apply for life or protection insurance and factors like obesity will be taken into account; some insurers will use the Body Mass Index measurement, others will use other measurements of obesity."It may be that some insurance companies are unable to insure individuals because of a variety of factors, but more often than not, providing it's not a serious pre-existing medical condition, what the insurance company will do is either increase the premiums for that individual or make specific exclusions from the policy. So you wouldn't be covered for illnesses relating to the conditions or the lifestyle factors that you've disclosed."He added: "But one important thing that people should remember is: if, when they applied for their insurance policy, there were lifestyle factors which they had declared, like obesity, and those individuals make lifestyle changes which reduces obesity, for example, then if they let their insurance company know that then there is likely to be a reassessment of premiums, which doesn't happen the other way round."
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