Overweight and obese people are considered to have pre-existing conditions.
Obese people tend to have more health issues than people with average weight. Conditions such as heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, stroke and diabetes appear more often in obese people; on average, medical care costs $10,000 more over the lifetime of an obese person than an average size person. The potential for more costly medical care constitutes a core reason for conflict between the health insurance industry and people classified as obese.
Private and Government Insurance
Private health insurance companies can deny health insurance coverage due to obesity. Many companies consider it a pre-existing condition, meaning that people in this category may not have health insurance unless the person works for a company with a group health plan. In the United Kingdom, the government-run National Health Service (NHS) provides medical care for citizens. However, according to The Daily Mail, one in ten hospitals denies procedures such as hip replacement surgery overweight people. Hospital administrators are reportedly telling people that they constitute too great a risk for surgery and to come back, "when they have shown a commitment to become healthier."
Weight Reduction Procedures
While some obese people cannot receive medical health care, others who do have health care may not undergo weight reduction procedures such as lap bands. More insurance companies are beginning to approve the procedure though, according to WFAA in Fort Worth/Dallas. The cost of performing a weight reduction procedure runs anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000. According to WFAA, insurance companies that do pay for the procedures often have a clause that only allows one procedure per lifetime. When issues arise with a procedure, a patient may learn that the insurance won't pay.
Children's Health Insurance
In 2009, an insurance company denied coverage to a four-month-old baby because he was too fat. The health insurance company underwriters declared that the baby had a pre-existing condition. Since the initial denial, the insurance company has agreed to cover the child; however, the decision came at the insurance company's discretion. Insurance companies do not have any regulations that require the company to cover an overweight child even if the child is otherwise healthy.
