How to know if you’re overweight for life insurance?

Ireland: A Country of Obese People by 2030 | World Health Organisation

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, Ireland has the highest cases of obesity and excess weight in the whole of Europe.

So you won’t be surprised to hear the number 1 health issue we encounter at lion.ie concerns weight.

How to know if you’re overweight for life insurance?

Each life insurance company has a table arranged according to your age and your BMI (body mass index), just like this one:

So even though your BMI may put you into an overweight category (click here to calculate your BMI), this doesn’t mean the insurance company will increase your premium.

An example should clear things up:

Michael is 40, 6’2 and 20 stone.

His mother would call him big-boned, the BMI calculator would call him obese (BMI of 35.9) but as you can see from the table above he would face a price increase of 0%

i.e he would get the same price as someone who is a “normal weight”.

But if Michael was a year younger, with a BMI of 35.9, the life insurance company would increase his premium by 50%

So the basic factors that an insurer looks at to check if you’re overweight for life insurance are age and BMI.

What other factors affect your life insurance if you’re overweight?

There are a number of other factors the underwriters will consider when reviewing your application:

• Are you a smoker?
• Family history – is there a history of weight related health issues in your family e.g heart disease, diabetes, stroke
• Are you a big drinker?
• Do you have high blood pressure?
• Ever had raised cholesterol?
• Are you a diabetic?

It’s impossible to give a useful indication of how associated factors will affect your chances of getting cover.

All applications are underwritten on an individual basis – no 2 applications for life insurance are identical.

What if you’re overweight and need mortgage protection?

The same rules apply for mortgage protection insurance as for life insurance.

How does being overweight affect getting serious illness cover?

The insurers take a stricter approach if you have a high BMI and are applying for serious illness cover.

Take a look at this table:

As you can see, if your BMI is over 41, at any age, you will struggle to get income protection or serious illness cover.

Michael, aged 40, in our example above would not face an increase in premium for life cover only.

But if he was applying for serious illness cover too, the insurer would increase his premium by 50%.

I’m obese, can I get income protection?

The insurers underwrite income protection even more strictly so please get in touch before making an application.

Over to you…

The tables above are taken from one insurer.

Each insurer takes a different approach and has different ranges.

This means one insurer may increase your premium based on your age and BMI but you could get the normal price by applying to a different insurer.

That’s where I come in, let’s have a chat and I’ll find you the best insurer based on your health.

Complete the short form below and I’ll be right back.

Talk soon.

Nick McGowan
lion.ie | making life insurance easier