I've searched around and I've noticed that some of these bmi charts and calculators vary a little bit. I'm 5'1 "210" some calculators say that I'm 39.99 others 40. Is there anywhere I can find THE bmi chart that doctors or insurance companies use.

Is .01 that serious?

@@OutsideMatchInside if op is in the qualifying process, it can matter a lot. They joined recently so that's entirely possible.

@@diamondrme I think you may have to contact the insurance provider or doctor or whoever is going to be measuring it to know exactly what they use. I wasn't aware that bmi calculators could vary, as they are supposed to follow an mathematical formula. Unfortunately, if you want to be sure, you probably have to find out the specific one the insurance or whomever is using. Probably there are just slight variations.

Is .01 that serious?

I believe the scientific equivalent is a Whopper with cheese, fries and a Coke.

or pizza..................

If it is that you need to be 40.000000 for insurance to qualify, then look into if you have any comorbidities (sleep apnea, high BP, pre-diabetic, etc.), the qualifying BMI should be lower.

Insurance will use their formula, which may be a generic one. The amount of muscle vs fat (a professional weight lifter may have a high BMI but has high muscle mass), whether it is a man or a woman, body frame size, etc. need to be taken into effect.

I agree with Dub, you could hedge it a little bit, but the surgeon may require you to lose some weight prior to surgery, which is actually a good thing from a surgical and a personal standpoint.

Get your surgeon on board with your insurance company to work it out so you know where you stand.

Good luck.

The reason different calculators online vary is because some start metric and convert, which creates a rounding error.

Is .01 that serious?

I remember one lady shedding every piece of clothing to get rid of a half a pound to qualify for surgery. So I can see where it might be.

Is all mathematical logic out the window for BMI calculations though? 39.99 should be rounded up to 40.

I had a friend from college that wore ankle weights and a ton of heavy clothes to qualify for gastric bypass in like 2003. She ended up on a feeding tube and almost dying after surgery.

Insurance will find any reason to not pay. People have been denied because of .01 some calculators say that 210 is 40 for my height some 215. I'm just now in the stages of choosing a doctor and I'm with CHAMPVA.

Edited February 9, 201610 yr by diamondrme

Scientific - accurate and BMI is an oxymoron.