Health is the most critical asset of your life. In today’s time, fitness seems to be on everyone’s mind. When talking about fitness, you must have heard about Body Mass Index (BMI) quite often. BMI tells whether an individual’s weight is appropriate or not. In simple terms, it determines the ratio of the height to your weight to assess whether your weight is in proportion to your height. It helps in determining whether you are underweight, overweight, or obese.
Moreover, do you know that body max index also impacts your health insurance premium? Obese people tend to pay a higher premium than healthy individuals, as many ailments are related to obesity. It is one of the essential factors to determine your premium amount.
How to Calculate Body Mass Index?
According to the World Health Organization, there are groups in which the bodyweight is categorized:
- BMI less than 18.5 means that you are underweight
- BMI in the range of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered ideal
- BMI in between 25 to 29.9 indicates that you are overweight
- BMI that is more than 30 means that you are obese
It is easy to determine the BMI by using an online body mass index calculator. You need to enter your height and weight. Also, you can enter either of the two, and it can give you an ideal number for the other two.
The simple formula to calculate BMI is:
BMI=Weight of an individual (kg)/ Height of an individual (m2 )
How BMI impacts Health Insurance Premium?
For most insurance companies like Care Insurance, etc., BMI plays a vital role in assessing the amount you pay for the health insurance premium. It is one of the significant ways to know how physically fit you are. An increased BMI indicates that you are prone to develop several related diseases. At present, medical treatment for such illnesses is very high.
Overweight people pay a high premium as obesity is known to cause other diseases. Also, their life expectancy is low. Higher BMI makes you prone to diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, etc. On the other hand, a low BMI may cause anemia, deficiency of vitamins, and osteoporosis, which of course, increase your chances of hospitalization. The insurance underwriters consider these factors while estimating the premium. It implies the more you will weigh, you will end up paying more. Therefore, it is advisable to manage your BMI to ensure that you are living a healthy life. A balanced BMI indicates that you are fit and can get health insurance at an affordable premium.
Takeaway
Thus, it is equally important to keep a check on your weight and diet. Improper body weight is the result of an unhealthy diet, which may cause an energy imbalance. Being underweight and obese can result in serious health issues in both adults and children. Hence, it is essential to opt for a health insurance plan to secure yourself from those hefty hospital bills. Now you can calculate health insurance premium by using an online premium calculator available on official websites of the companies like Care Insurance and more. These companies offer coverage for high BMI as well. Check their plans for more details. But, your balanced BMI helps you to stay healthy, wealthy, and wise.
