How being healthy affects your health insurance

There have been ongoing debates among people, healthcare providers, and insurance companies about the cost of insurance and the rates in which people pay depending on their lifestyle. While some feel that it is not fair to charge higher rates for people with certain habits that could be detrimental to one’s health in the long run, others feel that everyone, regardless of their lifestyle and habits, should pay the same price. This article will identify some lifestyle choices that could cause your insurance premiums to increase and how being healthy can lower your insurance rates.

Weight

If you are considered medically overweight or obese either by choice or caused by illness, you have a higher chance of experiencing a serious health condition such as a stroke or heart attack. Because this could be a great expense for the health care provider, as well as yourself, the insurance company will need to charge you a higher premium as it will cost them more to insure you. If you are in this situation, there are resources to assist in helping you get on track to getting healthier and being more active. Making small changes such as taking a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood every evening, can make a big difference.

Since we got my little Simba, I have been taking him a walk every day and I noticed over the weekend that my clothing had gotten looser. I never weigh myself as a rule as I refuse to be number obsessed, but on checking the scale to what I remembered I had been last, I had lost half a stone.

Drinking alcohol

If you love to drink alcohol after a stressful day at work and you do so on a regular basis, this could create health problems for you in the long run. Alcohol can greatly affect organs in your body, such as the liver, which can be costly to repair. Again, insurance companies will need to take a greater financial risk to insure you and therefore they will pass that extra expense on to you as the patient.

Smoking.

For years research has demonstrated that smokers have a higher chance of experiencing lung cancer, gum cancer, asthma, or emphysema due to consistent smoking. While these ailments can cost you your life, they also cost the insurance company a great deal to provide you coverage. While your health insurance premiums may be more expensive because you are a smoker, there are ways in which you can remedy this issue. Many health insurance companies have teamed up with health care providers to offer smoking cessation programs to help you reduce and even quit the habit of smoking. Some of these programs are even free and do not cost you anything but your time and effort.

The reason that these lifestyle choices could cause an increase in health insurance costs is that they can potentially cause the patient to need medical care that would otherwise most likely not be needed if they were not participating in these identified unhealthy activities. As the cost of care increases, the cost of insurance will also increase. If you are concerned about the cost of healthcare insurance, there are resources to assist you in making a positive change. When you begin to live a healthier lifestyle, you can check in with your insurance company, here and request a new quote without a problem.


*Collaborative piece