Smoking is known to have a negative impact on your health. You must have seen a warning on all cigarette boxes: “Smoking is bad for your health.” Smoking is the leading cause of 30% of all cancer deaths, and the risk of heart attack is 16 times higher.
There are about 120 million smokers in India. According to the World Health Organization, India is home to about 12% of the world’s smoking population. The number of men who smoke tobacco increased from 78 million in 1998 to 108 million in 2015. Tobacco use causes the deaths of 6 million people each year. Direct tobacco use causes more than 5 million deaths, and 0.6 million deaths are the result of exposure to second-hand smoke. Due to serious public health risks, the government has banned smoking in public places since October 2, 2008.
Not only is it your health, it also means that you pay higher premiums for health insurance because of increased health risks and shorter life expectancy. However, a non-smoker will receive premium discounts as a reward for a healthy lifestyle. Smoker is advised not to hide his habit of smoking from health insurance, as it will help to cover health problems associated with smoking.
People are very curious about how smoking affects health insurance and its cost. Learn about smoking and its impact on health insurance.
Smoking – what it means
Smoking involves inhaling the smoke of burnt tobacco in the form of cigarettes, cigars and troubles. Regardless of whether you are a smoker sporadically or often a smoker, you are considered a smoker for health insurance purposes.
Smokers can purchase health insurance, but the insurance company may charge or deny insurance reimbursement, depending on how many cigarettes you smoke regularly. Smokers may also need to undergo additional medical examinations that will help the insurance company determine the risk factor and then charge the insurance premium accordingly.
How smoking affects your health and premiums
Smoking has serious implications for your health, some of which are described below.
Circulatory system: Smoking increases the risk of heart pain and high blood pressure. Accumulation of fatty acids can lead to atherosclerosis.
Immune System: Smoking causes a serious and prolonged illness. Smokers are more likely to develop stomach ulcers, cancer, pneumonia, high blood pressure, bronchitis and other viral/bacterial/fungal infections.
Respiratory system: Smoking can disrupt lung function and shortness of breath. It can damage air sacs in the lungs, increasing the risk of chronic bronchitis.
Oral health: Smoking can lead to tooth loss, tooth discoloration and gum disease, which can increase the risk of tooth decay.
Cancer: Prolonged smoking also causes cancer of several organs of the body.
When it comes to health insurance, the insurance company takes into account the degree of morbidity and mortality from smoking, so smokers must pay higher premiums to be eligible for health insurance. Typically, insurance companies charge a smoking policy holder 15 to 20 percent more. Those who smoke must undergo additional medical check-ups before the insurer issues you the policy.
Let’s look at the difference between a smoker and a non-smoker.
Ritesh (non-smoker) buys an individual Health Insurance Plan with Lacs coverage of 5 rupees at the age of 30, for the duration of the policy in one year the amount of annual insurance premium is 4,656 rupees. However, Raj (smoker) purchases an individual health insurance plan, and he is charged an annual insurance premium of 7,552 rupees. The increase in the bonus amount is due only to the fact that Ansh belongs to the category of premium smokers. We see that Raj pays 2,896 rupees because of smoking.
Smoker with pre-existing health problems
If you smoke frequently, who has symptoms of ill health, and you wonder if you can buy health insurance. The answer is yes, you just need to disclose the information fairly and correctly.
The insurance company then assesses the risk associated with your profile and then determines the terms and sizes of the premium for purchasing health insurance. Premiums will increase and a waiting period will be applied to cover your pre-existing conditions.
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