Obesity nearly doubles life cover premiums

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To mark the start of obesity awareness week, Norwich Union has released figures which reveal clinically obese people face paying nearly twice as much for their life cover as people of 'normal' weight.

When assuring a sum of £200,000 for a 15 year term, a typical 35 year old, 5’10” non-smoking male weighing 12 stones can expect to pay £14.40 a month for a Norwich Union policy, compared to £18.40 if they weigh 18 stones and £25.20 if they weigh 20 stones. Similarly, a 35 year old, 5’5” non-smoking female weighing nine stones can expect to pay £12 a month, compared to £15 for a 15 stone counterpart and £20.40 for a 17 stone counterpart. Extra premiums are added routinely to life insurance policies when a client’s body mass index (BMI) is 30 or above. At present, one in four children i...

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