Mumbai: Not all health insurance policies charge the same premium. If you are looking for health insurance, make sure to do your required research and then choose a suitable plan with more features. Health insurance providers cannot deny offering a health insurance plan to overweight customers.

However, insurers determine the right amount of premium to cover the risk at the time of underwriting. There are many factors to be considered before accepting the proposal. Based on the personal information provided by the customers, insurers charge their premiums. Obese people are likely to pay a higher premium than normal healthy customers as many diseases are linked to obesity. Obese policyholders are prone to illness, likely to make more claims than normal policyholders.

It is important to disclose all the personal information at the time of buying health insurance. Based on the risks, insurers may charge a higher premium. However, at the time of claim, the chances of the rejection of your claim are less. The policyholder’s failure to disclose any personal information or health details at the time of buying might lead to a cancellation of the policy.

In India, more than 135 million individuals were affected by obesity. The prevalence of obesity in India varies due to age, gender, geographical environment and socio-economic status. According to the ICMR-INDIAB study 2015, the prevalence rate of obesity and central obesity varies from 11.8 per cent to 31.3 per cent and 16.9 per cent to 36.3 per cent respectively. In India, abdominal obesity is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Some of the diseases linked to obesity include heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, gout, cancer, gallbladder disease and gallstones, osteoarthritis, breathing problems and asthma.

Overweight people are more likely to have high blood pressure. A major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, high blood levels of cholesterol can also lead to sudden death without any signs or symptoms. They are twice as likely to develop type two diabetes compared to normal-weight people. Type two diabetes reduces your body's ability to control blood sugar. It is a major cause of early death, heart disease, stroke, and blindness.

Not only the above-stated types of cancers are associated with being overweight. Among the women, these include cancer of the uterus, gallbladder, cervix, ovary, breast, and colon. Overweight men are at higher risk of developing colorectal cancer and prostate cancer. Gout is more common in overweight people and the risk of developing the disorder increases with higher body weights.

The best way to get health insurance coverage without having to pay a higher premium for obesity is to decrease body weight and stay healthy. Always keep track of what you eat and how you exercise to stay fit. This will help to buy health insurance with an affordable premium.