Health Insurance for Smokers

Contrary to the common belief, smokers can get health insurance coverage provided they meet the eligibility criteria decided by the insurance providers. If you are a smoker, insurance companies may require you to go through a pre-policy medical check-up in order to confirm your eligibility for health insurance coverage. You will also be required to provide details of your smoking habits such as how many cigarettes you smoke in a day. This information is used by the insurance provider to assess the amount of coverage you will need and the premium you will have to pay for the insurance cover.

This blog presents in detail everything you need to know about health insurance for smokers.

According to health insurance providers, a smoker is anyone who consumes tobacco in any form, such as cigarettes, cigars, gums, chewing tobacco, etc. A person consuming tobacco continuously for six months, more than 4 times a week is classified as a smoker. Insurers often check the daily consumption of tobacco by smokers to find out how risky their profile is. It is recommended to be honest about your smoking habit and not hide any information so that you get the right coverage and your claims are not rejected in the future.

There are no special health insurance policies available for smokers. The major difference between health insurance plans for smokers and non-smokers is the premium amount. The premiums are higher for smokers compared to non-smokers for the same health insurance policy. Let us see how smoking affects your health insurance premium.

• The reason for the high premium is that smokers are at a higher risk of falling sick and thus are more likely to make a health insurance claim.
• Smokers have a high chance of getting critical illnesses like cancer, lung diseases, etc. due to the severe side effects of smoking.
• Hence, premiums are decided based on their present health condition and the risk of possible health issues due to smoking.
• If a smoker has a pre-existing disease, the insurer may ask him to undergo medical check-ups to assess the severity of his health condition. The premium is determined according to the health condition.
• If you have started smoking after getting health insurance, inform your insurer about it so that he can determine the premium value according to the frequency of smoking. If your insurer finds out on his own, he can reject your claims and charge you with insurance fraud.

Being a smoker does not necessarily mean that you have to pay high premiums for getting health insurance. The following steps can help a smoker reduce his health insurance premiums.

• Take care of your health and quit smoking. If you quit smoking for a minimum 2-year period during the policy tenure, the insurance companies may consider this and reduce the premium value.
• In case you are unable to quit smoking on your own, join a smoking cessation program, that will help you in quitting.
• If still you are not able to quit smoking completely, reduce the frequency of smoking and take care of your health. This will improve your health in long run and can help you further in quitting smoking.
• Opting for a higher deductible or a multi-year policy can also help in reducing the premium value.
• Compare policies online, there are many health insurance providers which offer health insurance to smokers at a lower premium comparatively.

Smoking kills millions of people in India every year. It is not just the smoker, whose health gets affected, but people around him are also affected due to passive smoking. It causes many life-threatening diseases like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), respiratory diseases, heart diseases, oral cancer, etc. As it affects many organs including the lungs, insurance for smokers is a necessity to deal with the harmful consequences of smoking.

Here is why health insurance is important if you are a smoker.

• Smoker health insurance provides the much-needed financial support to cover the cost of medical treatment in case a smoker is diagnosed with an illness.
• A cashless hospitalisation facility ensures that you get immediate medical attention without worrying about finances.
• Free annual health check-ups provided by the insurer are a good way to monitor health and keep a check on smoking habits.
• Coverage for family ensures that your family’s medical needs are also taken care of, even when you are not well.
• Tax Benefits can be availed on the premiums paid towards the health insurance.

Even if you are a smoker, having health insurance cover at a high premium is better than not having any health insurance cover. Health insurance will protect you and your family during a medical emergency and will also protect your savings. Most insurers reward their customers for maintaining good health and not making any claims. Hence, good health insurance will also help you in securing your health and the future of your family. Quit smoking for better health and protect your finances.

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