Yes, life insurance is more expensive if you vape. If you are a nicotine user of any kind, you are considered a smoker and are subject to higher insurance premiums. Insurance for smokers can have 50-100% higher premiums compared to non-smoker policies.
Does “vaping” affect life insurance premiums?
- MCMHA Does “Vaping” Affect Life Insurance Premiums? Vaping is a fast growing habit, at least partially intended to reduce reliance on cigarette smoking. Though you might think that that fact alone what endear vapers to the insurance industry, it’s actually quite the opposite.
Do life insurance companies consider vapers to be smokers?
This has put the vast majority of life insurance companies in the camp of considering vapers to be traditional smokers. In other words, life insurance companies don’t differentiate between vaping and smoking – it’s all considered to be smoking, and subject to higher premiums. In May 2016, the FDA made a definitive judgment in regard to vaping.
Will e-cigarettes affect my life insurance rates?
So until long-term health studies prove or disprove that e-cigarettes and vapes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, the best rates you’ll be offered from most life insurance companies if you’re a “vaper” will be the “Preferred Smokers” rate which, is over FOUR times higher than the best-preferred non-smoker rate class.
Is vaping a smoking cessation product?
Though vaping is often sold as a smoking cessation product – which insurance companies generally favor – it nonetheless has a very high incidence of “dual use” practitioners. That is, people who vape but also continue to smoke traditional cigarettes.
Does vaping affect life insurance rates?
How vaping impacts life insurance rates. A life insurance company is likely to charge a smoker significantly higher rates for a policy than a non-smoker. That means vapers who are healthy overall, with no pre-existing conditions or family history of illness, could still pay an extremely high premium because they vape.
Does nicotine affect life insurance?
Smokers can buy life insurance but should be prepared for much higher rates than non-smokers. That's because smoking impacts your life expectancy. You could be denied a life insurance policy if you lie on the application about your smoking habits.
Are you considered a non-smoker if you vape?
Even if you don't consider yourself to be a 'smoker', your insurance company might. As well as cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, for many insurers, including us, you're classed as a smoker if you vape or use nicotine substitutes such as patches, gum or lozenges.
Is vaping considered smoking?
Vaping is not smoking, but some people find vaping works to help them quit because it offers experiences similar to smoking a cigarette. Vaping has a similar hand-to-mouth action as smoking, and it can also be social.
How long do you have to quit smoking to get life insurance?
Typically applicants must have refrained from smoking cigarettes for at least 12 months before applying for life insurance to qualify for nonsmoker rates at most companies. To get the best rates, you'll need to have been smoke-free for about five years.
Is my life insurance void if I start smoking?
No. If you're honest about smoking on your life insurance application, smoking will not void a life insurance policy. It's important to be truthful about your smoking history on your application and during your medical exam.
Does life insurance test for nicotine or cotinine?
Many insurers also require that you undergo a medical exam before buying coverage. During this medical exam, it's likely you'll be given a nicotine test. This may be a urine test, blood test, or saliva test. It's also possible to do a hair test for some substances.
Do I have to tell my life insurance if I start smoking?
Be truthful about where you are in your journey and if you start smoking again during the term of your policy, you definitely need to inform your provider. By taking chances, you risk invalidating your insurance which will certainly cost you more money in the long-run than those cheaper premiums that you're after…
A Brief History of Vaping
The vape and e-cigarette versions that we know today were the brainchild of a Chinese pharmacist named Hon Lik. A heavy smoker, Hon Lik used to smoke up to 3 packs a day. To help him stop his addiction, he created a device in 2003 that could utilize vapor to mimic cigarette smoke.
Key Facts About Vaping
Let’s take a quick look at some of the most important facts about e-cigarette and vape use.
What does Vaping Do To Your Body?
Recent research results link vaping to certain illnesses. But what and how exactly does vaping affect certain parts of the body? This section aims to give you an overview of its specific effects.
How Life Insurance Companies Assess Vape Users
Life insurance companies use a health rating table when underwriting applications. It works like a general guideline wherein your premiums will be determined depending on where you rank in the health class table. In general, it’s made up of the following 5 categories:
How Vaping Affects Life Insurance Rates and How to Find the Right Policy
If you vape or use e-cigarettes on a regularly and want life insurance, you should declare it on your application. Being truthful about your vaping habits will let you avoid potential headaches in the future. Such as, having your claim denied or getting the policy forfeited.
How Vaping Affects Life Insurance Rates
So how exactly can you get cheaper or more reasonable premiums if you are vaping? Well, there’s really no way around it. If you want the absolute lowest premiums you can get—you have to kick the habit.
How They Determine Your Life Insurance Classification
When you are applying for life insurance, you will go through a process that is referred to as underwriting, in which you will be given an insurance health classification.
Vaping Considered Smoking for Insurance Purposes
Whether you believe that vaping is better for you than smoking, insurance companies will still charge you a considerably higher rate in order to obtain life insurance.
What about Marijuana?
For the purposes of a health insurance rating, insurance companies view marijuana smokers the same way that they view tobacco smokers, even if you “vape” your marijuana. Unfortunately, vaping or smoking THC or marijuana based compounds will lead to more expensive life insurance even if you are otherwise healthy and the rate of use is infrequent.
How many people died from vaping?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that there have been 52 deaths and 2,409 cases of hospitalization due to vaping or e-cigarette-related lung injuries. As the health effects of vaping become more well known, the practice will have more of an impact on life insurance coverage and rates.
What if I’m using vaping to stop smoking?
Even if you’re using vaping as a smoking cessation tool, it won’t lead to a lower rate.
How long do you have to quit smoking to get a better insurance rate?
To potentially qualify for a better insurance rate, you'll need to quit smoking or vaping for at least 12 months. After this, you can ask your insurer to review your rate and see if they can reclassify you, Campbell says.
Is vaping a good alternative to smoking?
Vaping has become a more common alternative to smoking, but life insurance companies often don't distinguish between the two.
Is vaping the same as smoking?
Frank Campbell, a chartered life underwriter and licensed life & disability analyst with more than 30 years of industry experience, says most, if not all, life insurance carriers treat vaping the same as smoking.
Do you have to have a medical exam to get a life insurance policy?
If you apply for life insurance and don't qualify for traditional coverage, a guaranteed issue policy may be your only other option. Guaranteed issue insurance doesn't require a medical exam. However, premiums are higher and coverage amounts are lower. These policies also feature a "graded death benefit.” A graded death benefit means your beneficiaries will receive a reduced death benefit if you die within the first one or two years of the policy.
Do you have to have a blood test to get life insurance?
As part of the life insurance application process, a life insurance company will ask about your health history and lifestyle habits. You'll additionally have to undergo a medical exam and provide a urine or blood sample. The blood test can identify nicotine and other substances in your body. This means that you'll have to pay higher life insurance rates than a non-smoker if you smoke or vape.
How Do Insurance Companies View Vaping?
The practice of vaping is still in its infancy, so exactly how it is treated by life insurance companies is subject to some debate. Until recently, there have been companies that would grant life insurance policies for vapers with better ratings and lower premiums than would be the case for traditional smokers.
How many carcinogens are in vape juice?
While cigarette smoking involves 69 carcinogenic compounds, the vape juices used in vaping contain just five. And since most juices do include at least some nicotine, the FDA believes that there is little difference between vaping and cigarette smoking.
What is vaping smoking?
Vaping is short for vaporizing. Unlike cigarettes, in which you are inhaling the smoke from burning tobacco, vaping involves inhaling steam that is produced from heated liquids. The vaporizer device itself, which looks something like an updated 21st-century version of a tobacco pipe, is often referred to as the electronic cigarette, or simply an e-cigarette.
Is vaping a smoking cessation program?
At the same time, there are also people in official circles who argue that vaping represents a legitimate smoking cessation program, and should be seen in a more preferential light than tobacco smoking.
Is vaping better than smoking?
The reason vaping is considered safer than cigarette smoking is that you are inhaling water vapor, rather than smoke. In addition, though the juices that are put into e-cigarettes typically do contain nicotine, it’s usually in weaker doses than what is found in cigarettes. And some vape juices contain no nicotine at all.
Is vaping a health hazard?
Even though vaping has generally been shown to be considerably less of a health hazard than cigarette smoking, life insurance companies often link the two as one in the same.
Is vaping considered a dual use?
Though vaping is often sold as a smoking cessation product – which insurance companies generally favor – it nonetheless has a very high incidence of “dual use” practitioners. That is, people who vape but also continue to smoke traditional cigarettes.
Why is life insurance so expensive for smokers?
Life insurance for smokers is so much more expensive because this decrease in longevity is up to 10 years. Most insurance companies would consider this drop in longevity not only a significant risk, but also a huge liability concern.
What is the biggest misconception about vaping?
As would be expected, one of the greatest misconceptions about vaping and life insurance is the rate class you can be approved for.
Why Just One Insurance Carrier?
Aside from this specific carrier, for every other carrier the jury is still out for lack of hard evidence on whether long-term use of e-cigarettes causes the same decrease in life expectancy as with other tobacco products.
What to do if you cut back on vaping?
If you’ve cut back on your vaping habits or quit cold turkey, inform your agent immediately.
How long do you have to smoke to be eligible for non-smoker rates?
Some companies are more strict with their conditions, mandating no less than 2 years smoke-free before becoming eligible.
What happens if you don't disclose your illness to your insurance company?
Failing to disclose a habit or illness to secure better insurance rates is considered insurance fraud.
Is e-cigarette a tobacco product?
However, in 2016, the FDA determined that e-cigarettes, or Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), are considered tobacco products and subject to federal regulation. This is why so many vapers experience smoker rates when it comes to life insurance coverage. Nonetheless, this is great news for e-cigarette users, ...
Can life insurance detect nicotine in urine?
For most life insurance carriers, you’ll find that the required medical exam to qualify for a policy can detect nicotine in your urine. This will most likely put you in the same boat as traditional cigarette smokers. Which means that the best non-smoker rate classes will probably not be in the cards if you’re vaping.
Does vaping smell like ashtray?
What we do know is that vaping has become increasingly popular. So while you probably won’t save big bucks on your life insurance anytime soon look on the bright side – you’ll no longer smell like an ashtray.
