Does Smoking Affect My Health Insurance Premium?

We know that smoking tobacco or any other harmful vapour substances are injurious to health, therefore, one should quit smoking as early as possible to reduce the risks of heart and lung diseases. It is also noted that some people believe that it is difficult for smokers to get a health insurance policy, which is untrue. A smoker can get a health insurance policy like any other individual but the costs of premium payments for such a person will be relatively higher. 

Smoking individuals have to pay more premium for a health insurance policy as they are more vulnerable to contract heart or lung diseases, which incur high costs of treatments. People who wish to quit smoking after buying a health insurance policy can follow certain protocols, as mentioned by the insurer to get a decrease in their premium costs. 

Health Insurance Policy For Smokers 

Cases of smokers are considered very discreetly by the insurance companies. The rate of premium payments depends highly on the reports of your pre-medical checkup which is conducted before confirming the purchase of a health insurance policy. The only way to decrease your premiums is to quit smoking. Not all health insurers charge high premiums from smokers. It differs from one insurer to the other if they wish to charge the high premiums. However, if it is observed by the insurance company that your health is deteriorating due to smoking then the premium increases to make sure that your medical bills are compensated carefully in the near future. 

Smokers should not be misled by the myth that they will be rejected the access to health insurance policies. Every individual should have a health insurance policy irrespective of age or medical condition as the policies are customizable. The only thing that differs in the case of smokers is that they are charged high premiums. Your frequency of smoking and the quantity of usage is taken into account before rolling out a health insurance policy to you. 

Ways In Which Smoking Affects The Premium of A Health Insurance Policy

As observed in the above arguments, the premium cost of a smokers insurance policy is higher in comparison to a regular healthy person’s health insurance policy. Since a smoker is at a larger risk of getting affected by a chronic disorder that may require expensive medical treatment, therefore the premium for them is kept high to ensure quality treatment. This does not mean that you can hide the fact that you are a smoker. Any information that is directly influencing your health should not be hidden from the insurer as the consequences will be turned on you. Suppose you hide the fact that you smoke and later in the policy tenure, there occurs an emergency medical situation which is caused by smoking, then you will not be liable to make a claim on your purchased health insurance policy. Therefore, you must make the insurer aware of all your habits like smoking and drinking as they directly affect your health and might need immediate medical attention in the near future, as nothing is certain. 

Diseases That May Occur Due To Smoking

Some of the chronic diseases that you as a smoker might contract are: 

• Respiratory illnesses or lung cancer 
• Stroke 
• Hypertension 
• Heart diseases 
• Cancer like mouth or lung cancer 

In the case of women, smoking can lead to complications during pregnancy which may put both the mother’s and child’s life at risk. Therefore, the only better cure to avoid all the above-mentioned diseases is to quit smoking. If it is an addiction, help can be taken from rehab centres.

Conclusion 

Health insurance policy is the need of the hour for all individuals irrespective of their age, therefore, even if you are a smoker you can buy a health insurance policy to protect your health by ensuring yourself quality treatment and other benefits that accompany the health insurance policy purchased. You can quit smoking and seek a decrease in your premium costs. You have to undergo medical tests, thus proving that you haven’t smoked for over 2 years, only then you are eligible to get a decrease in the premiums. 

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Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.