Obesity and health insurance premiums

Dealing with obesity is a daily struggle for individuals that truly want to change the way they are. Some people are plagued with obesity due to medications, genetics, and other factors. Most people become obese because they overeat and do not get adequate exercise. Obesity is on the rise; in fact over half of the United States population is obese. With obesity on the rise, people are naturally having more health problems. Heart conditions, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, diabetes, and a handful of other diseases are linked to obesity.

Employers are being forced to pay higher health insurance premiums because of their obese employees. In the past, people used to look down on the employees that smoked because they caused the health insurance costs to rise; now it's the overweight employees that are causing a big problem. Some companies have taken the initiative to start charging overweight employees more money in healthcare costs because they are costing the company more money. While some people cry out against this, other employers are starting to jump on board. Alabama has already passed regulations that allow employers to charge employees $30 a month for being overweight. Of course, before employers can start charging money, they need to give their employees notice so they can try to get in shape before they start being penalized for their weight.

Insurance companies are even offering reductions on life insurance to employees that are at their body mass index (BMI) for their age and height. Customers that have a lower BMI will receive lower rates; it's as simple as that. So what is a healthy BMI score? A score between 19 and 25 is considered healthy. Obese individuals are people that have a BMI score above 30. Anyone from 25 to 30 is overweight, but they are not considered a huge health risk just yet. Some doctors simply do not agree with the BMI scores and they recommend that their patients try to keep their waist below 35 inches for a female and 40 inches for a male.

Medicare shells out nearly $100 billion directly related to obesity-related health issues. That is only Medicare, what about all the other insurance companies? With the staggering medical costs related to obesity, it is no wonder why health insurance companies are increasing insurance premiums to compensate for medical treatments.

Individuals that are obese are automatically placed into a higher risk category. Not only are they in a high risk category for their health insurance, their life insurance companies also place them in a higher risk category. The reason why life insurance companies do this is because these individuals are at an increased risk for cancer and other diseases that tend to make them die younger. Some people can die in their twenties directly related to their obesity problems. There has been a large increase in childhood obesity. Sadly these children are not being taught how to take care of their bodies and many of them already have diabetes and heart problems.

It won't be long before all the employers in the United States start penalizing their overweight employees. Some employers may not even offer health insurance to the employees that do not meet the BMI requirements and other health tests like blood pressure and cholesterol. The best thing you can do for your health and your wallet is to keep your weight under control. Join a gym and attend classes that will help you lose weight. Some gyms even offer personal trainers as part of your membership. Exercise alone isn't enough; you also need to be eating healthier. This means its time to clean out the fridge and your pantry and replace all the unhealthy foods with healthier food choices.