Absolute Insurance have a dedicated Bariatric Financial Services team with the specific knowledge required to help you in your weight loss journey.
One of the hidden costs with being overweight is the cost of your Life, Trauma, Income Protection and Medical Insurance premiums. Insurance companies assess risk and one of the main ways they protect themselves against increased risk is to charge clients more. These additional charges are called ‘Loadings’.
So, for example if you have a hazardous job, then one of the ways an insurance company mitigates the additional risk you pose is to charge you more than the next person.
The nature of being overweight means that statistically we are more at risk of many health conditions not least of which are Heart Disease and Cancer. This additional risk means the insurance companies will charge overweight customers additional cost.
With most insurers this is a tiered scale of loadings. It starts with a +50% increase on the premium if you have say a BMI of 33 – 36 and then increasing from there up until a BMI of 45 or more. Often with a BMI of 45 or more an insurance company may choose not to offer cover at all. It is important to note that all insurers are different and have different rules around this. So where one company might not offer cover, others may be willing to offer cover. This is why it is important to get good advice from someone independent.
However, after all that negative there is some good news. These loadings are not permanent. They can and should be reviewed (although it is unlikely your insurance company will mention this to you). Post-surgery loadings can reduce significantly and could be completely removed in time, saving you potentially thousands each year.
If you already have insurance and are considering Weight Loss Surgery options, then get independent advice and review your insurances.
If you are post Weight Loss Surgery and have insurance, then get independent advice and review your insurances.
If you don’t have insurance (either because you have been declined or hadn’t really thought about it) then get independent advice and review your insurance needs. Click here to find out more.