Tony Novak profile picture
  "AskTony" column archive        


Categories

Most Popular

AskTony Archive

This Web site contains a compilation of more than a thousand consumer finance  columns written by Tony Novak from the 1980s through 2006, updated and reformatted for maximum usefulness today.  New material was added after 2010.

Content is the opinion of the author and does not represent the position of any other person or entity. Information is from sources believed to be reliable but cannot be guaranteed.

The author is paid for product endorsements and has an ownership or other financial interest in the businesses related to the topics covered.

New questions

Submit consumer finance questions at OnlineAdviser.org and health insurance questions at OnlineNavigator.org

Sponsored by:

FreedomBenefits.net Insurance Exchange - your source of valuable information on state and federal health reform benefits.

Core Health Insurance - America's favorite mini-med insurance  with affordable premiums, freedom to choose providers, optional PPO discounts and guaranteed eligibility regardless of medical conditions.

Please support the Web sites that make publication of AskTony services possible.

"Turned down" for being overweight

originally posted: 11/22/2006  reposted: 2/18/2011 This post has not been recently reviewed or revised by the author and may be out of date. If in doubt, please send a new question or ask for an update.

Q: You suggested Secure STM as a source for health insurance for overweight people. However, they do ask the question, 'Have you been turned down for health insurance within the last 12 months?' The probable reason that most prospective clients have found Secure STM is that yes, they have been turned down (due to weight issues). Will having been turned down preclude one from Secure STM insurance?

A: Actually the application asks if you have been "declined". Being excluded from eligibility or "turned down" as you stated is legally different than being "declined". The word "declined" has a specific meaning in this context. I am not aware of any health insurance companies that decline applicants due to weight. (It is possible, but I am just not aware of any that do this. None of the policies on FreedomBenefits.net do this). Please see http://asktony.tonynovak.com/questions/not-accepted-vs-declined.htm for an explanation of the important difference.

Summary

More resources:

FreedomBenefits.net
"Not-accepted" vs "Declined"