With news that a leading health insurer is set to encourage its customers to take up gym memberships in order to improve people’s all round health it is important to look at what you can do as an individual to make sure you are able to qualify for the best insurance deals.

One of the major checks that will be conducted by your prospective health insurer is to measure your Body Mass Index (BMI).  Depending on the results of this test you may well be eligible get some of the best deals on the market, but an extremely bad result may even mean you will struggle to find anybody willing to insure you at all.

BMI is measured by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared.

A BMI measurement of between 20 and 24.99 is considered healthy, while a measurement of between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight.  A reading of over 30 puts the person in the obese bracket.

"It's widely accepted by doctors, easier to justify, and less complicated to calculate.  It's also more black-and-white than older tables that used to take into account not only your height and weight but your build as well," Said Health Insurance consultant Kathy Thomas.

Thomas explained that the pressure being put on the insurers by a minority of those covered was costing them a great deal of money and that it was necessary for them to find ways\ to recoup costs.

“The sickest 1 percent of your policyholders can comprise between 40 to 50 percent of all your claims.  That's what makes health insurance such a risky business, it's the reason why individual health insurers are so picky when it comes to reviewing your application,” she added.

Obesity on the rise

Last month, figures released by the NHS Information Centre, showed a worrying increase in the number of operations that were being carried out to deal with weight issues.  The figures show a total of more than 2000 operations including stomach stapling and gastric bypass and if related illnesses including strokes and heart attacks are added, the number tops 5000.

"The number of people being treated by hospitals for obesity-related problems are just a small fraction of those that are eligible. The NHS just does not have the capacity and staff trained to deal with this," said Professor Philip James, from the International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Insurer looks to healthier future

With all this in mind, insurer Norwich Union said that their new initiative, which would see their customers being eligible for a discount of up to 40% on gym and fitness club membership, would encourage a healthier lifestyle for all.

“Norwich Union Healthcare is committed to the health and wellbeing of our customers and this is the first of a number of exciting initiatives we’re launching this year, designed to help our customers lead a healthier lifestyle,” said Rebecca Freebody from Norwich Union.