One man's admirable weight loss proves to be one carrier’s reason for denying him life insurance coverage
A 73-year-old man from Texas probably thinks so.
Gary Roberts applied for a $100,000 life insurance policy in August but was denied coverage by Prudential Insurance for losing 40 pounds over 10 months. Roberts wanted to slim down so that he could keep up with his wife of 54 years, but the insurer viewed the rapid change as a possible indication of an undisclosed medical condition.
That isn’t sitting well with Roberts, now down to 239 lbs.
"I really had gone in just asking for a $100,000 policy, which I didn't think was out of line," he told NBC’s Dallas affiliate. "He [Roberts’ doctor] was as flabbergasted as I was.”
That’s because Roberts is actually in good shape say his doctors; one of which is his own son.
"You can look at those lab (reports) and see that that's a healthy individual," Roberts' son Dr. Stockton Roberts said. "You don't need to know his age. You need to look at those labs and say those labs show no tendency at all of a person that has cancer or metabolic problem that's going on that's caused that weight loss."
The Insurance Information Institute has now waded into this, arguing Roberts should be reconsidered for insurance once enough time had passed to ensure the weight loss wasn’t related to some sort of health issue.
"It said in sixth months we will reconsider if your weight loss is not continuing," Roberts said of the denial letter.
Gary Roberts applied for a $100,000 life insurance policy in August but was denied coverage by Prudential Insurance for losing 40 pounds over 10 months. Roberts wanted to slim down so that he could keep up with his wife of 54 years, but the insurer viewed the rapid change as a possible indication of an undisclosed medical condition.
That isn’t sitting well with Roberts, now down to 239 lbs.
"I really had gone in just asking for a $100,000 policy, which I didn't think was out of line," he told NBC’s Dallas affiliate. "He [Roberts’ doctor] was as flabbergasted as I was.”
That’s because Roberts is actually in good shape say his doctors; one of which is his own son.
"You can look at those lab (reports) and see that that's a healthy individual," Roberts' son Dr. Stockton Roberts said. "You don't need to know his age. You need to look at those labs and say those labs show no tendency at all of a person that has cancer or metabolic problem that's going on that's caused that weight loss."
The Insurance Information Institute has now waded into this, arguing Roberts should be reconsidered for insurance once enough time had passed to ensure the weight loss wasn’t related to some sort of health issue.
"It said in sixth months we will reconsider if your weight loss is not continuing," Roberts said of the denial letter.
