Health insurance policies are meant to help individuals pay for expenses resulting from medical procedures and other types of sicknesses. Many factors go into calculating the cost of these insurance plans. Group policies, especially, have the medical history and other personal data from many people, including families, determining the cost for everyone within the plan. When certain factors such as medical costs, age and even weight gain increase, the cost of an insurance plan can also go up. It is important to understand how something as simple as weight gain can affect a health insurance policy.

Health insurance policies are intended to be non-specific, meaning that they must cover all conditions and body types in both males and females. In most cases, an individual must take some type of physical before qualifying for a health insurance policy. Blood type, age, height and weight are all types of measurements taken and help to ascertain the health status of a person. Height and weight are both used to calculate a figure known as the Body Mass Index, or BMI. A person's BMI helps determine their propensity for being underweight, normal or overweight. Since an adult does not typically add height as they age, weight gain is the only value that can cause the BMI indicator for an individual to increase.

People in the overweight classification of the BMI are more susceptible to a large number of ailments, diseases and even cancer. Insurance companies rely heavily on both a person's health history such as exercise frequency, diet, family illnesses, smoking and drinking. An individual's BMI value is also very important as it may help predict the health future for a person. If weight gain occurs health insurance companies may alter the types of coverage offered in their policy. An increase in weight could lead to hypertension, heart disease and one of the many types of diabetes. These are all health issues that could lead to huge medical bills that an insurance company must pay for. Although some uncontrollable situations can cause an increase in weight, it often speaks volumes about a person's lifestyle. Sedentary behavior and a poor diet lead not only to physical health issues but also cause depression and other mental health challenges.

Insurance companies want people to properly manage their weight and have a healthy lifestyle. In doing so, their medical costs remain low as well as the costs of their health insurance policies for both individuals and businesses alike. Many vendors offer incentives when people exercise and eat healthy. Businesses can also help inspire their employees by providing exercise equipment, healthy snack machines and even bike to work incentives.