How does Smoking affect your Life Insurance Rates and Premiums?

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If you are a smoker or tobacco product user and looking for a life insurance policy then you should be prepared for the fact that your premiums will be higher.  Smokers Life Insurance plans are simply higher due to the fact that their life expectancy is shorter than those that don't use tobacco products.  Below is a great article talking about these points and what to expect as far as tobacco life insurance premiums and rates. 

Smoker? Ex Smoker? How Smoking Can Affect Your Life Insurance Premiums

If you smoke, the likelihood of dying from smoking-related causes rises dramatically. Therefore, life insurance companies typically charge smokers higher rates than non smokers. This is to compensate them for the additional risk they incur when extending a policy to a smoker.

Because smoking can have such a significant impact on a policyholder’s health, insurance companies use an assortment of classifications for smokers. These classifications are based upon the amount of time that has elapsed since the policyholder last smoked. A “preferred plus” policyholder is a person that has not smoked for 5 years or longer. For those who have avoided smoking for at least 3 years, they’re awarded a “preferred” status. Lastly, a “standard” designation is typically given to a policyholder that has not smoked for at least 12 months.

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