Save Money While Saving the Earth

Posted in Health Insurance

April 30th, 2009

Not many people realize that losing weight can save them money on health insurance. But even fewer know that a healthy diet helps the environment.

According to a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the UK’s per capita food consumption has gone up by 19% over the past four decades. And the same picture emerges in most other industrialized countries. As a result, a billion people today are overweight and 300 million are obese.

People without group insurance plan are spending hundreds of dollars a month on health insurance. And the premiums they are paying vary considerably depending on the risk category of the person. Apart from smoking habits, some of the highest risk factors are related to obesity. Virtually anyone who lost a significant amount of extra weight will find that their premiums can be reduced. Of course, better health also means lower out-of-pocket medical expenses, since most doctor visits involve a deductible and/or copayment.

The increase in food consumption and average weight has direct impact on the climate change.

1. Perhaps most obvious, fuel use for transportation is higher, as the travelers are heavier and more food needs to be delivered.
2. Some of the biggest contributors to the greenhouse effect are farm animals. And one of the main reasons for deforestation in developing countries is the need for additional pastures.
3. The demand for more foods, causes more waste and damages the earth – due to the production of methane gas decomposing of waste in one central location (i.e. landfill). Contaminates in the decomposing process seeps into the soil and into our water system, causing more health problems.

As a result, the study says, if the UK population reduced obesity from the current level of 40% to the 1970s level of 3%, the greenhouse gas emissions would fall by between 0.4 and 1 billion tons per year per billion people. Now that is just the UK alone which is much smaller than the US. Imagine how much more significant it would be if the US or the entire world joined in? Not only would we help the earth but also ourselves.

So next time you are struggling to follow your weight loss plan, remember that apart from becoming healthier, you also reduce your health insurance costs and the damage to the Earth’s climate. If you’re already living a healthy lifestyle – get a free health insurance quote and see how much you can save.