Candidly Fat
In the official scorecard of life insurance agents, I am fat. Not Phat as in a compliment of being a hotty, good-looking, or one to be desired. Fat as in, a good 20 - 30 lbs overweight, packing on the extra pounds, love-handles around my child-bearing hips. I am just plain old over weight.
Agent: "Hi is this Bethany?"
Me:"Yes."
Agent: "This is Anthony from INSURANCE COMPANY NAME HERE."
Me:"Oh, Hi."
Agent: "Congratulations, You've been approved for your life insurance."
Me:"That's great!"
Agent: "Yes, but there needs to be an adjustment to the policy."
Me:"An adjustment?"
Agent: "Yes. Your weight was over our limits so your new premium per month is DOUBLE ORIGINAL QUOTE AMOUNT HERE."
Me:"Over double the original quote?"
Agent: "Yes ma'am."
Me:"Just because I am 25lbs over weight in your calculations?"
Agent: "Yes, everything else came back stellar. That is wonderful."
How is that wonderful? Dude, you just told me-- something I had already known but was in denial about because I just didn't want to deal with exercising like a madwoman 7 days a week and monitoring my hamburger a week diet-- I am fat!
Me:"So, I need to pay double what you originally quoted because I am fat?"
I was trying to let what he just told me--yes, politely--that yes, I was indeed fat. Scored and documented. The white elephant in the room, even at my primary care doctor's office. And even at my yearly OB/GYN appointment. I am fat.
Agent: "You could bring the policy down to HALF THE AMOUNT ORIGINALLY QUOTED. That would bring the payments to MINUS 10 WHOLE DOLLARS FROM THE QUOTE HE TOLD ME MOMENTS AGO."
Me: "That is only $10 less for half the amount if I died."
Silence again.
Me: "Do I need to give a decision right now?"
Agent: "No ma'am take your time."
Me: "All right I am going to discuss this with my husband."
We said our cordial good-byes and I hung up the phone.
I felt slapped in the face. Or punched in an oversized gut, apparently. Not to mention, I felt like shit.
Do I scuba dive? (They ask this in the forms.) No. I don't. Do I fly or plan to get a pilot's license? Nope, neither. And still... I have to pay out DOUBLE because I might die earlier because I am packing on an additional 25lbs. This is the biggest blow to anyone's self-esteem. Particularly women. Particularly a Mom. One that doesn't get enough time for herself as it is.
Want to know the worst part? The husband and I contemplated NOT signing me up for the insurance because it was double what they had quoted us had I been in their calculated normal range of weight--because of the money. So, if I died tomorrow, he was left to raise our son and live... He'd get nothing to help financially. (Well some piddly thing that my work offers upon hire, but nothing that would cover more than a funeral). The reason we wanted the insurance was so if anything were to happen to one of us, the other wouldn't have to deal with losing a significant other (emotional distress, BIG TIME), financial problems, and trying to raise a child...
You get the idea. And we still contemplated NOT doing it. Really.
I must say: I LOVE MY HUSBAND. After a few tears and grumpiness I came back out of the bedroom with puffy, red eyes and tried to look at him in the eyes., "What do we do?"
"We get it," my husband said in a matter-of-fact-tone, "If they would have told me that my premium was double due to my blood pressure, we would have done it, no second thoughts. So, we do the same for you." He smiled. "We were doing this in case a tragedy happens, so one part of my life wouldn't be a disaster if I had to do all of this alone. "
Yes. That is why I married him.
In December, he was at the doctor for a terrible flu and found out, at that moment, his blood pressure was high. At the doctor's recommendation he is supposed to make another appointment to see if it was a temporary thing or something we needed to remedy. My husband panicked--this would cause our already quoted medical premium amounts to be a lot higher than expected. And we resolved to the fact, he would probably have a higher premium.
So the morning the paramedic came for a medical exam, we held our breath, gave blood, smiled, answered questions, and exhaled when his blood pressure was well within normal range.
Did we get the insurance? Yes. Both of us... him the normal one, me, the fat one.
Agent: "Hi is this Bethany?"
Me:"Yes."
Agent: "This is Anthony from INSURANCE COMPANY NAME HERE."
Me:"Oh, Hi."
Agent: "Congratulations, You've been approved for your life insurance."
Me:"That's great!"
Agent: "Yes, but there needs to be an adjustment to the policy."
Me:"An adjustment?"
Agent: "Yes. Your weight was over our limits so your new premium per month is DOUBLE ORIGINAL QUOTE AMOUNT HERE."
Me:"Over double the original quote?"
Agent: "Yes ma'am."
Me:"Just because I am 25lbs over weight in your calculations?"
Agent: "Yes, everything else came back stellar. That is wonderful."
How is that wonderful? Dude, you just told me-- something I had already known but was in denial about because I just didn't want to deal with exercising like a madwoman 7 days a week and monitoring my hamburger a week diet-- I am fat!
Me:"So, I need to pay double what you originally quoted because I am fat?"
I was trying to let what he just told me--yes, politely--that yes, I was indeed fat. Scored and documented. The white elephant in the room, even at my primary care doctor's office. And even at my yearly OB/GYN appointment. I am fat.
Agent: "You could bring the policy down to HALF THE AMOUNT ORIGINALLY QUOTED. That would bring the payments to MINUS 10 WHOLE DOLLARS FROM THE QUOTE HE TOLD ME MOMENTS AGO."
Me: "That is only $10 less for half the amount if I died."
Silence again.
Me: "Do I need to give a decision right now?"
Agent: "No ma'am take your time."
Me: "All right I am going to discuss this with my husband."
We said our cordial good-byes and I hung up the phone.
I felt slapped in the face. Or punched in an oversized gut, apparently. Not to mention, I felt like shit.
Do I scuba dive? (They ask this in the forms.) No. I don't. Do I fly or plan to get a pilot's license? Nope, neither. And still... I have to pay out DOUBLE because I might die earlier because I am packing on an additional 25lbs. This is the biggest blow to anyone's self-esteem. Particularly women. Particularly a Mom. One that doesn't get enough time for herself as it is.
Want to know the worst part? The husband and I contemplated NOT signing me up for the insurance because it was double what they had quoted us had I been in their calculated normal range of weight--because of the money. So, if I died tomorrow, he was left to raise our son and live... He'd get nothing to help financially. (Well some piddly thing that my work offers upon hire, but nothing that would cover more than a funeral). The reason we wanted the insurance was so if anything were to happen to one of us, the other wouldn't have to deal with losing a significant other (emotional distress, BIG TIME), financial problems, and trying to raise a child...
You get the idea. And we still contemplated NOT doing it. Really.
I must say: I LOVE MY HUSBAND. After a few tears and grumpiness I came back out of the bedroom with puffy, red eyes and tried to look at him in the eyes., "What do we do?"
"We get it," my husband said in a matter-of-fact-tone, "If they would have told me that my premium was double due to my blood pressure, we would have done it, no second thoughts. So, we do the same for you." He smiled. "We were doing this in case a tragedy happens, so one part of my life wouldn't be a disaster if I had to do all of this alone. "
Yes. That is why I married him.
In December, he was at the doctor for a terrible flu and found out, at that moment, his blood pressure was high. At the doctor's recommendation he is supposed to make another appointment to see if it was a temporary thing or something we needed to remedy. My husband panicked--this would cause our already quoted medical premium amounts to be a lot higher than expected. And we resolved to the fact, he would probably have a higher premium.
So the morning the paramedic came for a medical exam, we held our breath, gave blood, smiled, answered questions, and exhaled when his blood pressure was well within normal range.
Did we get the insurance? Yes. Both of us... him the normal one, me, the fat one.
