A Look at Your Insurance Company and Obesity

As if it isn’t enough of a challenge to be obese, your insurance company and obesity can simply create more headaches for you.

Unfortunately, many people trying to overcome obesity find that their insurance company is not:

• As enthusiastic about the challenge as they are.

• Is not willing to cover many of the things that could help them beat obesity.

A look at the insurance company and obesity is especially frustrating when you consider what they are missing by not covering the very things that could help their carriers overcome obesity.

Research clearly shows that obesity leads to a myriad of health issues – and ones that are very costly to insurance carriers.

If the insurance company covered things that would help people beat obesity, they would very likely reduce the future claims these same people would make if they continued to remain obese and developed obesity-related diseases.

It is costing insurance companies more money in future obesity-related claims than it would cost them to cover some of these obesity-fighting treatments.

So why are we in the position we are with the insurance company and obesity?

For one thing, there is still controversy over which obesity treatments are effective.

Because of this, insurance companies are not willing to cover treatments that do not yet have a proven track record.

This is unfair because many other conditions and diseases are treated with controversial or unproven treatments.

We need to fight to get obesity-related treatments to share the same standards and be covered by insurance.

One example when considering effectiveness is gastric bypass surgery.

This treatment is highly expensive.

While it works remarkably well in some cases, there are also many cases where complications arise that:

• Continue for years and
• Are extremely costly to insurance carriers.

Insurance companies that do cover the procedure often:

• Place a cap on the amount they will spend on the procedure.
• Cap any costs related to complications that arise from the procedure.

Another concern when considering the insurance company and obesity is the prevalence of the problem.

Insurance companies are afraid that if they begin to cover obesity-related treatments there will be such an influx of those seeking these treatments that the insurance companies will not be able to bear the cost.

With 60 million Americans classified as obese, the issue of the insurance company and obesity could be a dramatic one.

Finally, a last issue to consider when looking at the insurance company and obesity issue is that we need to forward the understanding that obesity is a disease and not simply a behavior problem.

If insurance companies believe simply that behavior leads to obesity, they are not going to step forward to provide needed treatments.

Obesity is not entirely related to behavior, so behavior modification is not the only answer for many trying to overcome obesity.

In addition to fighting obesity we need to:

• Fight the issue of the insurance company and obesity
• Let insurance companies know that we firmly believe that obesity-related treatments should be covered.

Check into your insurance coverage and see what is included.

If obesity-related treatments are not, call your carrier and ask why.

For now, I'll give you some tips to get you started in losing weight.

• Incorporate a proven, complete nutritional program into your daily life.
• Enhance your nutritional program with a complete mutivitamin supplement because no nutritional program is perfect.
• Use a behavior modification and motivational program that will help you stay on track with your nutritional plan.
• Exercise at home with your own:
  Treadmill

  Stairstepper

  Exercise bike

  Elliptical trainer

  Hand weights or

  An aerobic video.

• See what kinds of weight loss aids your health insurance covers such as:
  Hypnotism

  Gym membership discounts

  Nutritional counseling.

• Track how much you exercise on a calendar so you can feel motivated by your progress.
• Discover a new fruit.
• Try a new vegetable.
• Use low-fat salad dressings.
• Limit your desserts to special occasions.
• Watch your portion sizes.
• Eat well-balanced meals.

By following the tips within this website you will lose weight!

We all know that the insurance company and obesity issue is unfair; however, you need to look out for yourself.

That is what this website is all about.

Helping you find information that will lead you to defeating obesity.

By working together, we all win!

Isn't it time you started to fight?

Go ahead. Get started right now.