Do E-Cigarettes Affect Your Life Insurance Rates?

Smoking causes disease and reduces your lifespan; you know it, and so do insurance providers. In fact, smoking—and the use of all nicotine-based products—causes approximately 480,000 deaths per year, which is why life insurance can cost significantly more for smokers.

However, since the introduction of electronic cigarettes in 2008, people have been questioning this heightened rate in regards to the devices. Why? E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that allow users to inhale vaporized nicotine, sans many of the other toxins that are found in regular cigarettes. While some people use these devices to wean off cigarettes and eventually stop smoking altogether, others use it as a gateway into the dangerous habit.

Because of the purer form of nicotine and the lack of actual smoke, it is believed that e-cigarettes are safer to use than cigarettes. But the technology is so new, studies are still being conducted to determine possible health risks. Many doctors think that the devices still pose a very real threat to public health.

Varying opinions and a lack of solid scientific evidence has led to different policies at different insurance companies. Many providers classify e-cigarette users as smokers (mainly because lab results will still show nicotine byproducts in urine samples), and will therefore charge them accordingly for life insurance. However, some providers may not have instated e-cigarette policies yet.

Either way, your safest bet—both for your health and your wallet—is to kick the habit altogether. E-cigarettes may be a useful tool to help you quit, but it’s a good idea to give that up quickly because just one year after successfully quitting, you can apply to get non-tobacco rates on your life insurance.

Get a free quote. Call Overbay Insurance Services at (828) 452-4699 for more information on Waynesville life insurance.