Application Denied. Should I lie?

Question: My husband and I are self-employed and need to purchase insurance. We applied to Unicare and while he was accepted, I was denied due to my "build" (their term). I have no history of high blood pressure or any other health issues often assumed to be linked to a bigger "build." In fact, I lead a healthy lifestyle, walking several miles everyday.

What is my best next step? Shall I apply to another company and simply fudge my height/weight? 10lbs less or 1/2 inch taller and I am within "desired" BMI levels.

Answer: Thanks for your question. It is never a good idea to falsify information on an application for health insurance even if you consider yourself healthy and have no associated health conditions that would make you a higher risk. Quite simply, taking such an action could have negative repercussions for you and could even result in an insurance company rescinding your coverage if it is found that you had "intent to defraud". There are other ways to approach this. A good broker should be able to point you in the right direction regarding alternative insurance companies who might have less stringent height/weight guidelines. Hope this helps.