A Detailed Guide On BMI

Fitness is something that you can lose easily by sitting at home for a long time period. Owing to the lockdown and pandemic confinement, many lost their fitness. This indirectly impacted the offered premium rates on term insurance policies. So, how can fitness impact your life insurance quotes? All boils down to your body mass index (BMI). It is recommended you set some crucial fitness goals to save yourself from paying a higher insurance premium rate.

How does BMI or fitness impact your insurance premium? To know this, read on.

What’s BMI (body mass index)?

BMI (body mass index) is a measurement that idealises the individual’s weight as per his height. According to the basic rule, any individual having a higher BMI than the normal range is looked upon as obese. You may get in-depth knowledge regarding BMI by consulting with your dietician.

How to compute your BMI?

BMI can be computed using distinct parameters like the individual’s age, weight, height, and gender. Such computation takes nearly a few minutes. The fundamental BMI computation formula is –

BMI = Weight (in kgs)/ [height (m)]2

Medically, it’s normal for your BMI to range anywhere from 18.5 to 24.9. The below listed BMI chart will help you with understanding this better –

Body mass index (BMI)	Weight category
Above 30	Obese
Between 25 and 29.9	Overweight
Between 18.5 and 24.9	Normal weight
Below 18.5	Underweight

What’s a BMI calculator?

Besides the BMI computation formula shared above, there’s a simple-to-use online BMI calculator available on insurance companies’ websites that makes this computation very easy. Most insurance companies do not charge a penny for providing you with the computations on the BMI calculator.

Why is BMI crucial for planning your term plan policy?

Depending on your online BMI computations, an individual might be categorised into any four categories, these include – obese, normal weight, overweight and underweight. As per medical experts, if an individual is obese or underweight, there is a high chance of him suffering from serious health problems. Though BMI is not the only parameter that impacts your premium rate on the term insurance, nowadays, many companies factor this in. It is mainly looked upon as a health risk indicator by insurers.

Individuals having a high BMI are highly susceptible to suffering from diseases like gallbladder disease, type 2 diabetes, cardiac problems, and untimely demise. Alternatively, those with a low BMI are looked upon as suffering from malnutrition. Such individuals are highly susceptible to witnessing a low bone density problem, and joint issues, which might result in osteoarthritis and others. Normally, no health insurer would want to provide an insurance policy to an individual who might have the chance of witnessing any such problems.

Here’s where an online BMI calculator comes into play in deciding the exact BMI of an individual. Using this online calculator, you can get to know if you may qualify for insurance at a lower premium. In the case, your BMI is high, then you may consider working on it to improve your BMI to secure a preferred insurance deal at a lower premium.

How can a BMI impact your life insurance premium?

By computing your BMI through an online BMI calculator, the insurer can simply decide your health status to know if you are a potential policyholder. Thus, BMI often serves as a guideline on which the rate of the insurance premium might depend. The major reason considered by most insurance companies for supporting BMI as an important health indicator is mentioned below.

Distinct insurance companies usually take it for granted that an individual with a good BMI would need frequent medical facilities than the one having a normal BMI. So, as an outcome, the higher the probability of healthcare expenses, the higher would be the premium on a term insurance policy.

Is BMI the sole health indicator considered by insurance companies?

It is a fact that nowadays, an increasing number of insurance companies depend on BMI as the health indicator for those interested in purchasing a policy. However, it does not mean that BMI is the sole parameter for checking your health status. Let’s look out at some of the crucial parameters that indicate the potential policy buyer’s health status.

Age –

A lot regarding the individual’s health status can be determined just through their age. It is a basic trend followed by various insurance companies to provide term insurance having a low premium constituent to a younger individual. This is because they are mostly less likely to witness severe health conditions. In contrast, individuals over the age of 40 years are susceptible to witness health problems and thus, they often avail of policies at higher premium rates.

Family history –

Apart from the age, the family history of an individual can even throw adequate light on the medical condition. Medical professionals believe more than BMI, it’s the history of the family that often shows the health status of an individual. An individual with a family history of severe diseases like Parkinson’s, cancer and diabetes has a higher chance to suffer from the same diseases in the upcoming times. Thus, insurance companies ask for a detailed report of the family history before finalizing the policy’s premium rates.

Addictions or lifestyle –

Through one’s lifestyle, a lot can be known. Insurance companies set higher premiums for the term insurance for individuals addicted to alcohol or tobacco. Heavy tobacco consumers and alcohol drinkers are most likely to avail of insurance policies with higher premiums.

Ending note –

While the issuance of the term insurance policy is not dependent solely on your BMI value, a lot is predicted regarding your medical status through it. As stated above, apart from the BMI, distinct other important parameters are considered by the insurance companies for setting the premium. So, ensure to get thorough info from the health insurance company before you purchase an insurance plan to prevent any policy rejections. In the case, you are looking to know your BMI before you apply for the policy, then you may use an online BMI calculator.