For decades, UK life insurers have used BMI as a universal metric to calculate the risk, and therefore the cost, of life insurance policies they underwrite.
In this case, a British born doctor of Ghanaian descent was looking for life and serious illness cover.
I was stunned when I was told that my BMI indicated that I was clinically obese. All my other health parameters were normal.Aviva policyholder
His adviser, director of Hanbury Wealth Mandy Dale, recommended using Aviva - as the only insurance company in the market which offers relevant life cover on a serious illness basis, Aviva's policy allows premiums to attract tax relief.
The client, who wishes to remain anonymous, was quoted a standard term premium of £215.41 per month.
But this was bumped by 25 per cent and increased to £270.06 per month after his BMI readings were taken at the nurse screening he attended as part of the application process.
With a 22-year term, the difference between these two premiums is just under £15,000 over the course of the policy.
His BMI was 31, according to the reading. The World Health Organisation classifies those with a BMI of 25-29.9 as overweight, and those with a BMI greater than 30 as obese.
The client told FTAdviser: "As an NHS consultant who exercises regularly, I was stunned when I was told that my BMI indicated that I was clinically obese. All my other health parameters were normal.
"I was faced with a 25 per cent increase in my life insurance premiums, an unfair extra financial burden to protect my family."
The doctor argued that BMI is flawed, because it fails to accurately represent those customers with lower body fat and higher muscle mass.
BMI does not account for lean body mass and may have the propensity to underestimate body fat in South Asian groups and overestimate body fat in black groups.European Journal of Public Health
This has traditionally impacted sportspeople's access to cover, according to product manager at Protection Guru, Adam Higgs.
But Dale's client argued it can also impact those of African descent. A European Journal of Public Health study from 2021 highlighted this.
It concluded that BMI does not account for lean body mass and "may have the propensity to underestimate body fat in South Asian groups and overestimate body fat in black groups".
'We are aware it is not perfect'
Dale decided to compile her client's findings, which also included a handful of British Medical Journal articles from 2021, in an effort to get them to review their decision.
