A Guide to Critical Illness Insurance for High and Low BMI

Sound health is imperative to happiness, and weight is a primary factor determining how healthy a person is. For children, a healthy weight is important for proper mental and physical growth, whereas it is linked with the overall standard of living for adults.

An obese person is more prone to developing conditions and diseases like high BP, stroke, Type-2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, breathing issues, arthritis, coronary heart disease, high cholesterol, sleep apnoea, colon cancer and breast cancer, to name a few. Studies prove that obesity also leads to mental health ailments like anxiety, low self-esteem, sleep disorders, eating disorders and depression.

Also Read - Disability Insurance

Using BMI (body mass index) is the best way of knowing that as it takes both weight and height into consideration. BMI between 25 and 30 can be defined as overweight, while BMI exceeding 30 means the person is obese. While BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal, BMI less than 18.5 is termed as underweight. Having a higher BMI impacts the premium of your life insurance plan.

Refer to this weight-to-height ratio chart to know how much you should weigh according to your height.

How can you calculate your BMI on your own? If you know your weight and height, you can use this simple formula to know your body mass index now:

Weight in pounds = 5 x BMI + (BMI divided by 5) x (Height in inches minus 60)

Click here to Use - BMI Calculator

How to Take an Accurate Measurement of your Waist?

You can also assess your weight and find out how healthy you are by measuring your waist circumference. How can you screen for future health risks by measuring your waist?

For example, if most of the fat gets accumulated around the waist instead of the hips, your risks of developing Type-2 diabetes and heart diseases are higher.

Under normal circumstances:

• An adult woman’s waist size shouldn’t go beyond 35 inches
• For men, the risk escalates when the waist size is 40 inches or more

Stand straight and place the measuring tape around your waist, just above the hip bones. Also, breathe out and then measure. Knowing both your BMI and waist circumference will give you an idea of whether you should be worried about your current weight or not.

Why is it Important to Maintain a Healthy Weight?

Several factors affect our body weight, including age, genes and lifestyle. Regardless, exercising daily and eating nutritious food can prevent excessive weight gain. But, if you are ready to shred some extra pounds, you must start by setting realistic goals. For instance, did you know that losing weight consistently over a longer period is better for your body than drastically becoming thinner?

Simple lifestyle changes can have a long-term effect on your overall health:

1. Exercise:

2. Diet:

Remember that fat accumulation is a result of an imbalance between diet and exercise. Adequate exercise can help you beat fat accumulation. Modern science points to the possibility of lower fat accumulation with muscle-building exercises. Such exercises help you eliminate fat even when you are sitting or relaxing. Thus, paving the road for long-lasting health.

Must Read - Term Insurance Plans

Financial Measures for Securing your Health

Obesity is not only bad for your health but also for your wealth too. If you want to protect your wealth from health-related expenses, you should get yourself Mediclaim or health insurance. Health insurance keeps you shielded against big medical bills.

The two types of health insurance plans you should have are as given below:

a) Family floater health plan which will take care of the hospital bills for any family member
Know more about family floater plans.

b) Critical Health Insurance will offer a lump sum of financial assistance if you are diagnosed with illnesses like cancer, heart failure, etc.
Know more about critical illness insurance.

While Mediclaim only covers hospitalization expenses, health insurance policies provide financial assistance in pre and post-hospitalization stages as well. Both plans are eligible for deduction under section 80D which allows you a tax saving of up to Rs 75,000 every year.

The best way to avail of critical health insurance is to add it as a rider with your term life insurance plan. This way if you happen to claim a critical health benefit, you can avail a premium waiver benefit as well for your term life cover. The premium waiver allows the life cover to continue without needing any further premium payments.

Critical health riders with plans like iSelect Smart360 Term Plan from Canara HSBC Life Insurance offer you the benefit of lump sum support with a regular income for the family.

Thus, you can remain financially stress-free while you recover.

Recommended Reading - Emergency Fund

Healthy Weight for Quality Life

While signing up for health insurance coverage, you’ll be asked to submit your height and weight data, which will be used to calculate your BMI. People exceeding acceptable body weight levels may have to pay an extra premium than those having normal BMI. This is done because obese people tend to spend more on their health.

Maintaining a healthy weight doesn’t just make you look nice but also has amazing effects on your overall health. Both obesity and sudden weight loss can be indicative of an underlying medical problem. So, keeping the weight in the normal range is significant at every stage of life to keep diseases at bay, increase productivity and live longer. And finally, don't forget to insure your health for a worry-free life.