Addressing general health and preventative medicine, the Prime Minister has promised every adult in the UK will receive a free health MOT. Screening for conditions such as heart disease and diabetes will be among the tests and will be phased in over the next few years.
Screening for vascular disease, which is the primary cause of heart failure and strokes affecting 6.2 million people and bringing about the death of 200,000 of those per year, will begin in the over 60's later this year. This effectively brings the benefits of private health care into the public domain.
Blood pressure, cholesterol levels and Body Mass Index tests are among the few moves that the government can make widely available so that we have more control over which direction our health is taking as opposed to trying to fix it after it's broken.
This is good news for life insurance companies. They will be better able to assess our risks, which will reduce the premiums for healthier people.
Unfortunately, for those at risk, it will increase life insurance premiums but hopefully encourage all of us to follow a more responsible lifestyle.
In further moves to increase the nation's health, a ban on junk food advertising aimed at the under 16's has been put in place. Campaigners have said this is not enough and are calling for a total ban.
Media reports say that three quarters of us are concerned about our health and weight. This discovery was made in a poll that came one day after McDonalds announced growth rates close to their 1980's peak, resulting from 88 million visits to their outlets in just one month.
Obesity levels in Britain now outweigh those of the US and are a major concern to life insurance companies. The implications to the health of an obese individual are well documented.
At the other end of the scale is another growing UK health problem; that of our obsession with thinness. Celebrities have been condemned for their public portrayal that being an ultra thin size 0 is the only way to be pretty and worthy. This vanity has now reached a pinnacle with a new camera on the market that can make you look between 5 and 15lbs thinner than you really are.
Life insurance companies have a set scale from the British Medical Association that determines a healthy weight range but many people, whether obese or anorexic, are falling outside of these guidelines, increasing their life insurance premiums.
One of the problems associated with anorexia is the effect it can have on one's mental capacity. To starve the brain of the nutrients it needs leads to irrational thinking and a distorted view of one's life and the world around. This health defect was once associated with the aged but recent research shows this is not so.
In tests on the older generation , it was found that mathematical skills of years ago were unchanged and verbal skills actually improved with age. Throughout life, the brain develops and finds new ways of describing and coping with life changes. This is thought to over ride the loss of brain cells that also occur with age.
This was well and truly proved by the 89 year old grandfather who recently gained a degree in sociology. The old adage that you can't teach an old dog new tricks is obviously not so.
So, to keep life insurance premiums done we would do well to consider the results of medical tests to keep our health at an optimum for longer, cheaper life and remember that to have use of our full brain capacity, we should use it or lose it.
There’s been a lot of talk recently about how insurance companies calculate risk and use factors like BMI to determine your premium. Insurance is all about managing risk and taking precautions to ensure you live longer for the benefit of all involved. So what can you do about yourself that would ensure you get a better premium?
Life insurance companies are concerned about pretty much the same things as doctors and people with healthy lifestyles: the typical and almost cliche-like definitions such as cholesterol, being overweight, tobacco use, diabetes and other serious medical conditions related to poor health or premature death. They usually ask you about your medical history and have you undergo a medical exam. Some of them might even ask for more extensive examinations, link an X-ray or EKG. Your blood and urine samples will be tested for any sign of disease, including HIV, cholesterol level, and any indications of disorders such as diabetes, kidney problems, hepatitis and other problems. The samples could be also screened for the presence of nicotine and certain medications as well as for illegal drugs.
Having that said, let’s move on and figure out where can we improve things. There are some factors that you can’t put under your control, for example age and gender. However there are other variables you CAN control and this will not only improve your health, but give you better options for optimizing your financial health and securing your families future if something happens to you.
Quit smoking. The sheer fact of smoking is responsible for a very significant raise in your premium. If you quit for one year before signing the deal and stick to it, it can lower your costs drastically. Not to mention that it could possibly save your life. Do it NOW!
Exercise regularly and lose weight. If you live healthier, the risks for the insurance company are lower. Even if you already have a policy, if you can provide your insurer with information that you’re regularly improving you health. They might decrease your premium.
However, there is a problem here with the Body Mass Index. Most insurers use as one of the factors to determine the amount of premium. As many of you have noticed, there have been talks about how these tests are unfair recently on many webblogs. If you have a lot of muscle on you, your BMI will be higher even if you’re cholesterol levels are low, you have no fat on you’re living very healthy in general. We will be publishing a special article about this issue in the near future.
Take your blood pressure medication on time. If you have problems with your blood pressure, ensure at least that you’re keeping it under control. Every small step you take makes you healthier and reduce the risk, therefore the premiums.
Tell your independent broker about your special conditions, if you have any. A good broker will know which insurance companies offer the most favorable rates for your medical condition. It is very important that you don’t lie about your health status. If the life insurance company would find this out, they might rescind your policy or deny to pay death benefit at the time of claim.
See the longer version of this life insurance article
Both Catherine Harvey & Lorne S. Marr are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Catherine Harvey has sinced written about articles on various topics from Culture and Society, Home and Wedding Gowns. Insurance expert Catherine Harvey looks at the way premiums should be altered according to new health research. To find out more please visit. Catherine Harvey's top article generates over 1500000 views. to your Favourites.
Lorne S. Marr has sinced written about articles on various topics from Insurance, Makeup and Insurance. Lorne S. Marr, President of Lorne S. Marr Insurance Services Ltd. has been a practicing financial planner since 1993 having graduated from the University of Windsor with an MBA. In the year 2000 he completed the internationally recognized Certified Financ. Lorne S. Marr's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.