Do you know the differences in insurance premiums for smokers and non-smokers? How does smoking affect health insurance premiums?
Smoking is a major cause of concern nowadays as it leads to many critical illnesses and premature deaths. In this quick guide, you will gain a crystal-clear answer to the life insurance difference between smokers and non-smokers. Read it to know ‘What is the insurance premium for smokers?'.
What are the differences in insurance premiums for smokers and non-smokers?
Before knowing the premiums for term insurance for smokers vs non-smokers, we should better know what smoking is in terms of insurance.
Any individual who takes nicotine and tobacco products like cigarettes, bidi, cigars and smokeless tobacco products is considered a smoker by insurance companies.
What if you lie about smoking on your health insurance?
The applicant should be absolutely honest about his smoking habits while signing up for a policy. If he does not disclose his smoking habits while taking an insurance plan online or in person, then it will be taken as a fraud and your claim will be rejected for providing false information. If someone tries to hide or lie about one’s smoking habits from the insurer, it will be taken as a moral hazard. This act of deceitfulness could result in severe consequences.
Also, the insurance company will easily find out about smoking as it’s impossible to hide tobacco traces in the medical test. The amount of tobacco used by the person is also revealed in the medical examination.
How do insurance companies detect smoking?
The insurance companies have the full right to investigate the smoker about his habits. They asked a set of questions from the applicants regarding smoking and tobacco consumption in the last 12 months.
Also, smokers will be asked to go through a medical test. Nicotine traces can be found in hair, blood, saliva and urine. Then insurers will know about his health condition to evaluate the premium cost of coverage.
Life insurance difference between smokers and non-smokers
Smoking is the root cause of many ailments like cancer, heart and lung diseases, and cardiac stroke. This makes the smoker’s quality of life poor and the probability of making expensive claims on life insurance is high.
Due to the increased probability of the smoker claiming health insurance, insurance companies offer 1.5- 2 times higher premiums to smokers as compared to non-smokers.
Can I change non-smoker to smoker status in term insurance?
Many people are searching for an answer to the big question, ‘what if I start smoking after taking life insurance?’ It is recommended to maintain transparency between the insured and the insurer at any cost.
You should inform the insurance company because insurance is a legal contract based on good faith and disclosure of important details. In case of any discrepancies and non-disclosure of material facts, the claim of the nominee will be rejected.
To conclude, the insurance premium for smokers is 50-75% higher than the premium for non-smokers. Hence, to have a healthy lifestyle along with lower and affordable premiums, you should quit smoking.
