FREE HEALTH INSURANCE QUOTES Start here...

Select Insurance Type:

Individual Health Group Health Small Business Health Short Term Health Family Health Medicare Supplemental Travel Insurance

Zip code:

Obesity treatment has been in the news again, as UK researchers discover a commonly occurring gene variant that may explain why some people become overweight while others do not. Will this kind of discovery change the way that individual health insurance is applied to those who suffer from obesity and obesity related disease?

At medicalnewstoday.com, the findings of the study reveal that there is indeed a gene that occurs in those who have a greater susceptibility to weight gain and type 2 diabetes.

And with such discoveries come questions regarding the obesity treatment options that are most popular today, and their cost. If obesity proves genetic in nature, should individual health insurance cover it in the same way that other inherited diseases are covered?

But dramatic shifts in obesity treatment, or in premiums paid for those with individual health insurance, aren't about to change. At most, those with two copies of the obesity gene are likely to weigh around 6.6 pounds more than those who don't have the gene.

What does this mean? Mainly that it's lifestyle and environment that effect weight gain, not genetics.

And those who do suffer from obesity or obesity related disease still need health insurance, since regular checkups can provide the kind of support required to make healthy changes in lifestyle.