Promoting Education and Learning

Tobacco reliance is a hard addiction to break. Every day people decide to quit smoking or chewing tobacco and the next day, they start again. Not only do you spend a lot of money on tobacco products, you are also increasing the price of your life insurance. Even the best life insurance company will charge you more if you are a tobacco user.

Most insurance applications will ask you if you have used a tobacco product in the last twelve months. By answering yes to this question, you are put in a tobacco category that guarantees you will pay more for your insurance. The reason? Tobacco causes serious health risks. These health risks make you a liability to the company which means they will charge you more. It’s the same as if you had a critical illness; insurance companies will charge more for their services.

HOW MUCH MORE

Although the price of your insurance is based on many factors such as age, health, type and amount of insurance, it has been found that smokers can pay up to four times as much as a non-smoker for the same policy. Talk about jacking up the price. Here’s why:

Smoking Kills

More than 400,000 deaths a year (that is 1 out of every 5) in the United States are linked to cigarette smoking. More deaths are caused by this each year than drug and alcohol use, HIV, motorcycle injuries and suicides and murders combined. Moreover, as much as 80% of lung cancer deaths in women and 90% in men are related to cigarette smoke. Additionally, only ten percent of those deaths from chronic obtrusive lung disease are NOT related to smoking.

Increased Health Risk

Smokers double their risk of coronary heart disease as well as stroke because the act alone can literally cause heart problems. It causes reduced circulation throughout the body which leads to narrowing arteries. That factor can later create peripheral vascular disease.

Cancer

Cancer leads to long term care. Insurance companies don’t want to have to pay for that; they are in the business to make money. All tobacco products are known carcinogens. The following types of cancer can all be linked to tobacco:

Bladder
Cervix
Esophageal
Throat
Mouth
Lung
Kidney
Larynx
Stomach
Uterine

Cancer means lots of hospital visits and medications, not to mention the risk of death.

Tobacco users also have these other adverse health effects when it comes to having children including a greater risk of early delivery, stillbirth, and low birth weight children. Their children are also a greater risk of SIDS. This results in more hospital visits for not only you, but possibly your children.

It’s no wonder tobacco users are expected to pay more for the same coverage. It’s just as if you have a known disability; insurance companies will think you are more of a risk. By quitting the use of tobacco products you aren’t only living healthier, your giving yourself a better price for insurance.