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Life > Weight ImpactIf you are overweight, but healthy, you still may have trouble buying life insurance. If your weight reaches certain levels, even if you're not obese, you'll have to pay more for life insurance premiums. The heavier you are, the more you'll pay. Your age, medical history, lifestyle, and build are all taken into consideration on your application. Your build is your weight relative your height. The two factors are combined in tables to determine how much of a risk you pose. The more you weigh compared to your height, the higher your risk of health problems. If you are only 10 pounds overweight, chances are you won't see any difference in your life insurance rates, but if you are severely overweight, you can expect to be paying more for premiums. With some companies, even ten to twenty pounds of extra weight may make you ineligible for preferred premium rates. Some companies will still insure obese people by offering what is called a graded death benefit policy. It pays out different amounts depending on how long you live. The longer you survive, the more money will get paid out to your beneficiaries. The following table was compiled by the American Medical Association, and it will give you an idea of the desirable weight range for your body type. Your insurance company may not use the same data, but it will be similar to what you are seeing here.
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