What is BMI and How Does BMI Influence Real-life Health Insurance Decisions?

Body mass index, or BMI, is a number that gives you an idea of whether your weight is healthy for your height. BMI is important because it can help predict your risk for specific health issues. Insurance companies use BMI to help set premium prices on health insurance plans. This article will explain what BMI is, how it’s calculated, what the ranges mean, and how insurance companies use BMI data.

What is BMI?

BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a measurement that uses height and weight to determine whether a person is at a healthy weight. It indicates fairly well whether a person is underweight, average, overweight, or obese.

The BMI calculation is quite simple. All you need is your height and weight. To calculate your BMI, just divide your weight (kg) by the squares of your height (metres). You can also use a BMI calculator for quick results.

Calculating your BMI is simple:

1. Take your weight in kilograms
2. Divide your weight by your height in metres squared

For instance, if you weigh 70 kg and are 1.75 metres tall, you would divide 70 kg by (1.75)2.

The final number is your BMI. In this example, the BMI would be 22.9.

Importance of BMI for Health

Monitoring your BMI is important because it gives you an indication of your overall health. Being significantly underweight or overweight/obese increases the risks of specific health issues.

For example, a low BMI below 18.5 can indicate nutritional deficiency or other issues like anorexia. On the flip side, having a BMI in the obese range is linked with an increased majority of diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure, amongst other health risks.

Keeping your BMI in check reduces the likelihood of developing such problems. Your doctor can even use BMI trends to diagnose emerging health conditions early. So, maintaining a healthy BMI through diet and exercise helps manage good health.

What Do the BMI Ranges Mean?

Once you’ve calculated your BMI, you can compare it to typical BMI ranges to see if you fall in the underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese categories:

• Below 18.5: Underweight
• 5 – 24.9: Healthy weight
• 25 – 29.9: Overweight
• Over 30: Obese

For example, a BMI of 22.9 would fall into the healthy range.

Why Do Insurance Companies Care About BMI?

Insurance companies ask for your BMI because maintaining an extra weight can increase your risk for certain diseases. People with BMIs in the obese range tend to have a higher chance of developing:

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Certain cancers

These conditions are expensive to treat. So, people with higher BMIs tend to cost insurance companies more money over time. As a result, obese policyholders may pay higher premiums for the same health insurance coverage.

On the other hand, people with BMIs in the healthy range tend to cost less to insure over the long term. So, they may pay lower premiums than obese policyholders.

How Does BMI Impact Insurance Premiums?

During the application process, insurance companies will question your height and weight to calculate your BMI. Then, they will use your BMI data to assign you a risk category:

• Standard Risk: Healthy BMI
• Higher Risk: Overweight BMI
• Highest Risk: Obese BMI

The higher your risk category, the more you can expect to pay premiums for the same health insurance policy.

For example, there is a ₹5 lakh health insurance policy. Applicants with “standard” BMIs may pay yearly premiums of around ₹10,000 – ₹15,000 for that coverage limit. However, applicants classified as “highest risk” could pay ₹25,000 or more annually for the same policy.

Can You Lower Your Premiums by Managing BMI?

In many cases, yes – especially if you currently fall in the obese BMI range. Shedding extra pounds to reach a healthier BMI can potentially:

• Reduce your assigned risk category
• Lower your premium costs

For example, if you weighed 95kg (obese BMI) but lost weight to 80kg (overweight BMI), your premium costs could decrease significantly…even though both BMIs are above average.

While challenging, reaching and maintaining a normal BMI can translate to savings on health insurance over time.

Tips to Reach a Healthy BMI

Here are some helpful tips to reach and maintain a healthy BMI if needed:

• Aim to exercise for 150-300 minutes per week
• Limit junk food and fried/oily items
• Fill half your plate with non-starchy veggies
• Focus on nutritious whole foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean protein
• Stay adequately hydrated each day

Tracking BMI Over Time

Track your BMI every 6-12 months, mainly if you actively focus on healthy eating and exercise habits. Documenting your progress can keep you motivated.

And remember, even small decreases in BMI can positively impact your health and insurance rates. Maintaining healthy behaviours is worthwhile, even if reaching the “normal” BMI range may take time.

Conclusion

Understanding your BMI can give you valuable insight into your current and future health. It also helps predict how much you’ll pay for health insurance.

While BMI has limitations, keeping it within a healthy range can motivate constructive lifestyle choices. And it could save you significantly on insurance costs over the long run.

Focus on whole foods, regular activity, and staying hydrated. Small steps can lead to better health and bonuses like lower premiums.

Contact PNB MetLife to know more about BMI and its Influence in real-life health insurance.