Does Vaping Affect Your Health Insurance Premium?
By Krista DeKuyper | December 28, 2021 |
If you’ve been considering switching to vaping, it’s important to know what effect this might have on your health insurance. If you are a smoker looking for a cheaper solution, vaping may be the answer. However, some providers are beginning to charge vapers more because they consider it equal to or worse than smoking cigarettes. This article will tell you everything you need to know about how vaping affects your health insurance.
What Is Vaping And Why Are People Switching To It?
Vaping is the act of inhaling the aerosol or vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device. This can be done with or without nicotine, and though it may seem like a healthier alternative to actual cigarettes, it’s still not completely safe. The irony of e-cigarettes is that they were supposed to help smokers quit by giving them a less dangerous source of nicotine. However, because they were marketed as a safer alternative to regular cigarettes, many young people started to use them. Moreover, vaping has a higher chance of leading to smoking. So even if you don’t consume tobacco, your insurer can consider you much more likely to start doing so if you vape regularly.
How Does Vaping Affect Your Health Insurance Premium
Though vaping may seem like a healthier alternative to cigarettes, it’s important to remember that it’s not entirely safe. Some health insurance providers are beginning to charge vapers more because they consider vaping to be equivalent to smoking cigarettes. This can have a serious impact on your premiums if you’re someone who vapes regularly.
The cost will be depended on different factors such as your age, coverage amount, policy type and current health. But most likely, your premium will essentially be doubled.
How Do Health Insurance Companies Define A Smoker
Most health insurance companies will define you as a smoker if you’ve used a tobacco product within the last 12 months. You can qualify for non-smoking rates if you have 12 consecutive months of no vaping, tobacco or nicotine use.
Non-Standard Insurers
Non-standard insurers who specialize in higher-risk clients have a different definition for smokers. The Canadian Protection Plan (CPP) is one example of a Canadian provider of non-standard insurance. The CPP has stated that clients who consume tobacco, nicotine, or cannabis less than 5 times a week are considered non-smokers. So you might get better rates from them. However, keep in mind that non-standard insurers typically tend to cost more when compared to traditional health insurance plans.
Though vaping may seem like a healthier alternative to cigarettes, it’s important to remember that it’s not completely safe. Some health insurance providers are beginning to charge vapers more because they consider vaping to be equivalent to smoking cigarettes. This can have a serious impact on your premiums if you’re someone who vapes regularly. If you want to see exactly how vaping affects your health insurance premium, use our instant quoting tool.
