Life Insurance for Smokers and Tobacco Users
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The Best Life Insurance Rates for Smokers
Individuals who smoke can still be approved for life insurance. Compared to non-smokers, life insurance rates will be higher. Let’s take a look at life insurance for smokers.
Tobacco use affects your health. Life insurance companies balance the risk of insuring tobacco users by requiring higher premiums, referred to as smoker or tobacco rates.
Life insurance companies evaluate your application and, if applicable, your medical records and life insurance medical exam results. They assign you a risk class based on their findings. Preferred Plus is the best risk class for non-smokers and Preferred Tobacco is the best risk class for smokers. These risk classes directly affect your life insurance rates. The better your risk class, the lower your life insurance rates.
| Life Insurance Risk Classes | |
|---|---|
| Non-Tobacco | Tobacco |
| Preferred Plus | Preferred Tobacco |
| Preferred | Standard Tobacco |
| Standard Plus | |
| Standard | |
Example of Non-Smoker versus Smoker Life Insurance Rates:
John Smith is 30 years old. He applies for a 20-year $500,000 term life insurance policy.
|
If John Is a Non-Smoker… |
|
Preferred Plus: $19.49 |
|
Preferred: $25.49 |
|
Standard Plus: $31.33 |
|
Standard: $36.61 |
|
If John Is a Smoker… |
|
Preferred: $68.81 |
|
Standard: $90.19 |
The type of tobacco you use will affect what you pay. Not all tobacco products will receive a smoker rate. In addition, not all life insurance companies evaluate tobacco use in the same way.
Life Insurance Basics for Smokers
Will I be approved for life insurance if I smoke cigarettes?
You can still be approved for life insurance if you smoke. As a cigarette smoker, you will receive a smoker life insurance rate. Whether you receive Preferred Tobacco or Standard Tobacco depends on your overall health. Your Quotacy agent will help you find the life insurance company that will give you the best possible rate for cigarette use.
Learn more: Life Insurance Risk Classes for Cigarette Smokers
Does smoking cigars affect life insurance?
If you smoke cigars, you can get still life insurance but it will likely affect your life insurance rate. Depending on which life insurance company you apply with, even if you smoke cigars on a weekly basis, you may qualify for non-smoker rates. Your medical exam results should show little to no trace of nicotine, if you enjoy a cigar occasionally. Your Quotacy agent will help you find the life insurance company that will give you the best possible rate for cigar use.
Learn more: How Do Cigars Affect Buying Life Insurance?
Does pipe smoking affect life insurance rates?
If you smoke a pipe, you can still get life insurance but it may affect your life insurance rate. Some life insurance companies will give you non-smoker rates if no nicotine is detected in your medical exam. And others will automatically give you smoker rates no matter what. Your Quotacy agent will help you find the life insurance company that will give you the best possible rate for tobacco pipe use.
Learn more: How Does Pipe Smoking Affect Buying Life Insurance?
Does vaping affect life insurance?
While more research is being done, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that a new lung disease has been linked to e-cigarette use. This lung disease has been named EVALI, an acronym for e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury.
Because of this research, life insurance companies are more wary of electronic cigarette use. If you vape, or use an electronic cigarette, you can still get life insurance but you will likely pay smoker rates. Your Quotacy agent will help you find the life insurance company that will give you the best possible rate for e-cigarette use.
Learn more: How Do Electronic Cigarettes Affect Buying Life Insurance?
Does chewing tobacco affect life insurance rates?
If you chew tobacco, you can still get life insurance but it may affect your life insurance rate. Some life insurance companies will issue non-smoker rates for chew use as long as no cotinine shows up in the medical exam results, others will issue even if it does test positive. Your Quotacy agent will help you find the life insurance company that will give you the best possible rate for tobacco chewing.
Learn more: How Does Chewing Tobacco Affect Buying Life Insurance?
Can marijuana affect life insurance rates?
In recent years, the life insurance industry has been adjusting their views on marijuana use and its risk classifications in an attempt to keep up with societal and legal changes.
A big challenge for the life insurance industry is that unlike alcohol and tobacco, there have not been enough studies done on the long-term effects of marijuana usage to determine any definite conclusions in regards to risk of mortality.
Life insurance companies all underwrite marijuana use a little differently. Most marijuana users applying for life insurance will be given a smoker risk class, but there are a few companies that will offer non-smoker rates. If you use marijuana, whether medicinally or recreationally, your Quotacy agent will help you find the life insurance company that will give you the best possible rate.
Learn more: How Does Marijuana Affect Life Insurance?
How do smoking cessation products affect life insurance?
While smoking cessation products help people quit smoking, they still contain nicotine. So, some life insurance companies will still classify you as a smoker even if you don’t actually smoke anything. But there are also insurance companies that will consider you for the non-tobacco risk classes and therefore be given non-smoker pricing. To be offered non-smoker rates, you have to be cigarette-free for at least 12 months. Your Quotacy agent will help you find the life insurance company that will give you the best possible rate.
Learn more: How Do Smoking Cessation Products Affect Life Insurance?
Can I save on life insurance by quitting smoking?
Yes, but we recommend that you buy life insurance now versus waiting until you quit. After you quit smoking, you can re-apply for life insurance to see if you can get cheaper rates. You’ll need to be cigarette-free for at least one year before you’ll qualify for non-tobacco pricing. You can save hundreds of dollars on life insurance every year by quitting smoking.
Learn more: How Does Quitting Smoking Affect Buying Life Insurance?
Life Insurance Resources
Life Insurance Application Process
What is the Quotacy application process?
How do I buy life insurance online?
Helpful Advice for Smokers
Life Insurance for Tobacco, Nicotine, and Marijuana Users
Life Insurance Risk Classes for Cigarette Smokers
How Do Vaping Products Affect Life Insurance?
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