Summary

If you're overweight the life insurance companies use the Body Mass Index to decide whether to load your premium by up to 400%. What does the Body Mass Index mean to you? Read this article and find out.

Life Insurance premiums put the squeeze on fat people

Author: Michael Challiner

Once again overweight people are in the firing line. Life insurance companies

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Life Insurance News

are raising premiums up to 400% for fat people. They've always charged more for those who clearly over-eat, but ( best mortgages ) during the last year or so the penalties have got worse and more people are being affected.

In moves to tighten the belts, the life companies have lowered the limits they use to ( cheap mortgages ) categorise peoples weight. This means that those who are merely overweight and would have previously qualified for a standard premium, now are punished with higher premiums - and the premiums rise quickly the more overweight the insurers believe you are.

How do they classify you weight? They use something called the Body Mass ( home insurance ) Index. The typical insurance company considers a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 to be normal. Over 25 classifies you as overweight. Above 30 and they think you're obese.

The BMI is calculated as follows. Got your calculator ready?

Enter your weight in pounds and multiply it by 703.
Divide the result by your height measured in inches
Again divide the resulting number by your height in inches
The result displayed is your Body Mass Index

To give you a fix on what this means for you, here are ( personal loans ) the BMI's for twelve famous people:

Under Weight

Pamela Anderson - ex Baywatch Actress 16.2

Victoria Beckham - Footballers Wife 17.0

Renee Zellweger - Actress 18.0

Normal Weight

Catherine Zeta Jones - Actress 19.7
Davina McCall - TV Presenter 20.8

Alan Shearer - Newcastle Footballer 24.4

Over Weight

Russell Crowe - Hollywood Actor 25.6

Charlie Dimmock - Gardening Presenter 26.0
Jonah Lomu - New Zealand Rugby Player 29.2

Obese

Norman Schwarzkopf - US General 30.5

Lisa Riley - Actress 34.4

Dawn French - Comedienne 43.8

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