Dropping BMI for BRI

[tommyguns2]

Here's an interesting article. I've advocated this for a long time, as I've been considered morbidly obese for insurance purposes for years, and have been elevated premiums in response.

Should we ditch BMI and use the 'body roundness index' instead?

Body mass index (better known as BMI) has long been used to get a quick and easy snapshot of a person's body fat levels. To calculate someone's BMI, you divide their weight in kilograms by their height in meters times itself. The resulting number is used to determine a person's health risk.

medicalxpress.com

I spoke to an actuary once about this, and he said the BMI is good enough because the stats are baked into the numbers. Whether my BMI is due to fat or muscle, both groups are in the "bucket" that statistically will die earlier than people out of that bucket. While that's true, it ignores the fact that you could break that bucket into two sub-buckets with data that more accurately reflects each group. But the truth of the matter is, health insurance "works" for the insurance companies because otherwise healthy people pay a somewhat higher rate to subsidize those who are unhealthy.

 

[MR. BMJ]

The BMI is actually fairly accurate for those who are not heavily muscled. In a clinical setting for sedentary "regular" patients/people, it can be used with success on most situations.....but for everybody here on the forum who has above normal muscle mass, it should not be used.

 

[genetic freak]

The BRI is better for a lot of us, but it is still way off. I just put my measurements in the calculator and it estimates my bodyfat at a little over 20%. I am about 4.1-4.2% right now.

 

[myosin]

 

[The other Snake]

The insurance company is only going to hang it's hat on what drives up premiums.

As for splitting the bucket, they won't do that., a good example is nicotine use. I recently went through a boat load of tests to have a look at my pumper since it's been 15 years since I did that. My Cardio looked and said, you smoke? No I chew. He said, Oh okay, I'm not concerned about that and went onto the next question. I was like... WAIT... can we back that one up? He said that the chance of cancer is there but you're on top of your scopes and dental visits and BP. From a heart standpoint, I could care less. That shocked me.