Using Ozempic and similar prescription drugs to aid weight loss has increased in popularity in recent years. Science, a group of journals published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), named this class of medication the Breakthrough of the Year, citing that 1.7% of people in the U.S. were prescribed Ozempic or Wegovy in 2023 alone. [1]
You can still buy life insurance if you’re currently taking Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or a similar prescription drug to lose weight. Life insurance companies take a holistic look at your application — including your medical history and health profile — to determine how much you’ll pay for coverage.
Editorial note: This article is not intended to provide health or weight loss advice. Instead, we can help you navigate the life insurance application process if you’re concerned about how your weight, or the use of prescription drugs to lose weight, could affect your rates, coverage, or application experience.
What is Ozempic & how does it work?
Ozempic, also known by the name of its active ingredient, semaglutide, [2] is an injectable medication originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2017 to help lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. [3]
The drug mimics hormones that indicate to your body that you feel full, so although it was originally prescribed to treat diabetes, weight loss is a common side effect. It’s typically prescribed to be taken once per week.
Ozempic isn’t technically approved by the FDA for weight loss, but the active ingredient semaglutide is approved for that purpose under different brand names, including Wegovy. [4] Some physicians prescribe Ozempic or similar drugs to help their patients with weight loss.
Other weight-loss prescription drugs
Wegovy. This is another brand name for the drug semaglutide. The differences between Ozempic and Wegovy mainly have to do with the specific dosages and FDA approval. Ozempic was originally approved for use to treat type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy was approved specifically for people who have obesity or are overweight. [5] The FDA approved Wegovy in 2021 — four years after Ozempic.
Mounjaro. This is a brand name for another type of injectable medication originally approved by the FDA in 2022, with the intention of being prescribed for type 2 diabetes. [6] The active ingredient is called tirzepatide.
Zepbound. Zepbound is another brand name for the active ingredient tirzepatide. The FDA approved use of Zepbound in 2023 for chronic weight management for adults with obesity, or adults with overweight and one weight-related health condition (such as high blood pressure). [7] Zepbound is also an injectable medication.
Metformin. This is the name of an active ingredient and a popular drug for people with diabetes, taken as an oral medication. Metformin was approved by the FDA back in 1994, [8] but it’s still prescribed frequently today. Brand names include Fortamet, Glucophage, Glumetza, and Riomet. [9] Some physicians may prescribe metformin for weight loss as well as diabetes.
Why does taking Ozempic affect your life insurance options?
Taking Ozempic and other prescription drugs like Wegovy, Zepound, or metformin contributes to your medical history and therefore can impact your life insurance rates. The same logic applies to any prescriptions you take regularly — not just medication used to lose weight.
Insurance companies review your application during a process called underwriting, which is when they evaluate how risky you are to insure — or in other words, how likely you are to die while your policy is active.
Even if the drug itself doesn’t present significant health risks or side effects, it still impacts how insurers view your overall health.
Any health issue “that requires medication to manage is, in a sense, chronic,” says Sean Rogers, underwriting manager at Policygenius. According to him, an insurer perceives taking medication for weight loss similarly to taking medication to manage any other chronic health condition.
In addition, Rogers explains, the insurer also doesn’t know how your weight would fluctuate if you were to stop taking the medication, which is viewed as an added risk. Higher insurance risk usually results in higher premiums.
How does taking a prescription drug to lose weight affect your life insurance rates?
Weight loss may impact your life insurance rates on its own — with or without medication. “[Insurance companies] are conservative about any recent weight loss — whether from diet, medications, or surgical invention — because people tend to gain the weight back,” says Rogers.
The same goes for your height-to-weight ratio. Insurance companies use your weight to help assign you a health classification, which in turn helps set your rates.
For instance, if your height-to-weight ratio places you in the Standard health classification — which is meant to depict an average lifespan and average insurance risk — and your doctor recommends taking Ozempic or a similar medication, this won’t impact your rates more than your height-to-weight ratio already has.
On the other hand, let’s say someone who isn’t considered medically overweight takes a weight-loss drug. In this case, that person could lose lean muscle mass, which can have negative health effects, especially for older adults. “[Insurance companies] are cautious about someone losing an unhealthy amount of weight,” says Rogers.
Learn more about life insurance health classifications
How do life insurance companies know you’re taking a prescription drug to lose weight?
When you apply for life insurance, insurance companies check your medical records, including your prescription history. Your prescription history helps add context about any health conditions you might have.
Insurers use databases such as the Medical Information Bureau (MIB) and Milliman to make sure the information you gave on your application is accurate and protect against fraud. Even if a medication isn’t prescribed for a specific health condition, it’ll still appear on your report.
Learn more about how your prescription history can affect life insurance
Do all life insurance companies check your prescription records?
Yes, all life insurance companies check prescription records as a routine part of underwriting. If you apply for traditional term life or whole life insurance, your insurer will check your records.
Keep in mind that insurers can’t view prescription records without your consent.
Your health information is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
When you sign your application, you’ll also sign a HIPPA form that allows the insurance company to access your health information.
Some specific types of policies, such as guaranteed issue life insurance, don’t have medical qualifications to apply, so an insurer might not check your prescription records in this case.
What prescription drugs to lose weight can affect your life insurance policy?
Any medication taken with the goal of losing weight can impact your life insurance application, since insurance companies view weight-loss medications as indicative of some kind of chronic struggle with weight. Therefore, any of the medications above — Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, or metformin — could theoretically impact your life insurance policy.
Your personal circumstances and your overall health will likely have more of an impact than just the medication itself. To get a fuller picture of your health profile, the insurance agent you’re working with will ask you a series of questions, including:
Why were you prescribed this medication?
How long have you been taking this medication?
What was your weight before taking this medication?
Are you taking this medication under the guidance of a physician?
If you’re concerned about your weight-loss drug impacting your life insurance, you can work with an independent broker to discuss your personal health situation, and they’ll be able to compare quotes and guidelines from multiple insurers to find the best fit for you.
Does taking Ozempic improve your chances of getting life insurance if you’re considered overweight?
Not necessarily — but it depends on your personal health situation. Many people who take a weight-loss drug fall into the Standard health classification with many insurers, which is meant to depict an average level of risk. People who have a BMI of 31 to 35 often fall into this health class, but it varies by insurer.
Insurers often assign a Standard health classification to people who take medications such as Ozempic, too, even if their BMI might technically put them in a lower health classification. So, it’s possible taking Ozempic wouldn’t affect your life insurance premiums since insurers take a holistic look at your health profile.
If you’re considering taking a medication for weight loss and you’re not sure how much you’ll pay for coverage, you can reach out to a Policygenius expert for free to compare options.
Does taking Ozempic improve your chances of getting life insurance if you have diabetes?
If you have diabetes, taking Ozempic — or any other medication prescribed by your physician — to control your condition can help you get approved at an affordable rate. Insurance companies consider your blood sugar levels, your medications, and the age you were diagnosed, among other factors, to set your premiums.
If you don’t require medication to control your blood sugar as indicated by your doctor, this won’t negatively impact your rates.
On the other hand, if your doctor prescribed medication and you don’t take it as directed, this could have a negative impact on your rates. Generally, insurance companies want to see you taking steps to manage your condition with the help of your doctor — this indicates lower risk.
Should you disclose your use of weight-loss prescription drugs when you apply?
Yes. When you apply for life insurance, you should disclose any prescription medications you’re currently on or have taken in recent years — including any drugs used to lose weight.
Plus, the insurer will check your prescription history anyway, so it’s better to disclose the information upfront for a smoother application process.
Should you wait until you’ve lost weight to apply for life insurance?
It’s usually best to apply for life insurance as soon as you know you need it. Most life insurance companies don’t count weight loss until you’ve been at a stable weight for a full year, and they credit back half the weight in the meantime. This rule applies whether you’re on medication for weight loss or not.
So for instance, if you currently weigh 160 pounds and you lost 30 pounds in the last year, your weight on your application would effectively be 175 pounds.
Some life insurance companies allow you to apply for reapply for lower rates after your policy is already active — this process is called reconsideration. This means that if you lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off for one to two years, you can ask your insurer to re-evaluate the premiums on your existing policy.
How to apply for life insurance if you’re taking Ozempic or a similar weight-loss drug
If you’re taking Ozempic or a similar medication to lose weight, you’ll still apply for life insurance the same way as most people would.
What are your options if you’re denied coverage?
You won’t be denied life insurance solely for taking a weight-loss drug, but if you have other medical or lifestyle risk factors that mean you won’t be approved for traditional life insurance, you still have a few options.
Group life insurance. Many employers offer group life insurance as part of a benefits package. This type of coverage is usually subsidized by your employer, so it tends to be very affordable, if not free. Coverage amounts are low (usually one to two times your annual salary) and you typically can’t keep your coverage if you change jobs, but group policies don’t have health requirements for coverage.
Guaranteed issue life insurance. If you’re age 45 or older, you can consider guaranteed issue whole life insurance. This is a type of permanent policy that offers coverage up to around $25,000. It’s more expensive, but approval is near-guaranteed, and there are no health qualifications for approval.
Will your life insurance be canceled if you start taking a weight-loss prescription drug?
Once you have an active life insurance policy, your insurer can’t cancel your coverage. Whether you develop a new health condition or start taking a new medication, the cost of your premiums won’t change, as long as you keep paying them to maintain your policy. This is why many people choose to buy life insurance while they’re young with relatively few health conditions and medications.
Other health conditions that can affect your life insurance
Certain pre-existing conditions and other health-related concerns can affect your life insurance options or costs. A Policygenius expert can help you find the right policy for your needs.
Mental health issues such as depression or anxiety
