Having a suitable health insurance policy requires lot of time and effort. With a plethora of plans to choose from, it can be confusing to select a suitable and yet affordable health cover. Moreover, health insurance premiums are determined considering many factors and smoking is one of them. This article explains the impact of smoking on health insurance policy and whether smokers can avail the benefits of one. Let’s have a look.

What are the health hazards of smoking?

Your respiration function is affected due to any form of nicotine consumption including smoking. It leads to problems like breathing issues and at times results in more serious consequences which may result in oral cancer, lung cancer, coronary heart disease, arthritis (weakening of the bones), increased risk of cataract and decreased fertility. Moreover, in some females, this increased nicotine consumption can lead to stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, premature delivery and even sudden infant death syndrome.

Relation between smoking and health insurance plans

When it comes to smoking, it is often misconstrued that those who smoke cannot avail a health insurance policy. However, that is far from the truth. One can avail health insurance coverage that helps them financially secure for various ailments. Insurance companies understand that smokers are more prone to ailments and thus even offer a critical illness policy. The caveat among all these offerings is the premium for these plans. The premiums for a person who smokes is higher when compared to one who doesn’t. But these additional premiums aren’t levied at a flat rate. The amount of smoking habits determines these premium. A chronic smoker has a higher risk when compared to an infrequent one.

But these higher premiums should not deter you from buying a health insurance policy. While prima facie, smoking and health insurance plans may seem to cancel each other but insurance providers offer coverage even for the health conditions caused due to smoking for a slightly higher insurance rate.

Do insurance companies know if a person smokes or not?

Majority insurance companies have pre-medical check-up. Here not only you are asked information about your health and any existing ailments, but also a check-up is conducted to know about these symptoms. This pre-medical check-up involves answering questions about smoke and tobacco consumption too. While those who supress this information from their insurance companies, it involves hefty penalty as well as may lead to a rejection of their claim application. Thus, ensure you disclose your correct and complete information to avoid these gruesome consequences at a later date.

So, remember that health insurance is available for smokers and must not be ignored. There are various plans among which you can shortlist a few to tick all your requirements. Using a health insurance premium calculator, you can also compare the various options available before finalising on one. When buying a policy, make sure to understand what is health insurance coverage offered by your plan and accordingly select one. While there are myriad options to choose from, selecting a policy that ensures a comprehensive cover can come handy.  Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation. For more details on benefits, exclusions, limitations, terms and conditions, please read sales brochure/policy wording carefully before concluding a sale.