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Smoking is not only hazardous to health but also affects your pocket when it comes to buying life insurance. Since smoking results in poor quality of life and untimely death because of severe lung diseases and cancer. This leads to the plan premiums for smokers being higher. However, it is equally important for smokers to buy a life insurance plan to make sure their family is financially secured in case something happens to you.
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To help you find the right life insurance policy, the below guide has answers to all questions that a smoker might have.
A smoker is a person who uses tobacco/ nicotine in any form, be it cigarettes, cigars, gutka, beedi, khaini, flavored pan masala, nicotine patch or chewing gum. Life insurers have different ways in which they ask questions to check the smoking habit of a person. Some of the common questions posed by insurers are:-
Do you consume tobacco/nicotine products?
Have you used a tobacco product in past four years?
Have you ever consumed tobacco product?
If your answer to any of the above questions is yes, you will be classified as a smoker. Also, insurance companies do not differentiate between an occasional smoker and a frequent smoker. Insurers only quote low premium to those who have stayed off from cigarettes and nicotine products completely. Even if you smoke occasionally, you will fall into the smoker category.
Term Plans
Non-smoker: Person who doesn’t smoke
Preferred Smoker: Person who smokes and is fit and healthy
Typical Smoker: Person who smokes and has minor health issues
Table-rate smoker: Person has visible health problems because of smoking
Smokers have a low expectancy ratio as they are more susceptible to chronic ailments such as lung cancer, bronchitis and heart problems. They may have a shorter life span than non-smokers, making them risky for an insurance company. As a result, insurance companies will charge smokers a higher premium than non-smokers.
For example, Manjeet Singh, a 45 year old smoking male, earning a salary of 11 Lakhs per annum, purchased a life insurance policy of sum assured, Rupees 1 Crore for his loved ones, and continues to pay Rs. 4,870 per month as his premium. On the other hand, his friend Manoj Sahni, a 45 year old non-smoking male, earning the same salary, purchased a sum assured of Rupees 1 Crore, pays a premium of Rs. 2,903 per month.
The extra premium to be paid varies from one insurer to another. Besides smoking habits, the insurer also considers various factors during the computation of premium such as age and health. Check the following table to know the difference between premium of a smoker and non-smoker.
| Name of the Insurer | Plan Name | Annual Premium (in Rs.) | |
| Smoker | Non-Smoker | ||
| Aegon Life Insurance | iTerm Prime | 22,772 | 11,413 |
| Aditya Birla Capital | DigiShield Plan | 20,164 | 12,008 |
| Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance | Bajaj Allianz Life eTouch | 21,020 | 10,030 |
| Bharti AXA | Flexi Term Pro | 16,758 | 10,621 |
| Canara HSBC Life Insurance | iSelect Smart360 | 17,866 | 11,395 |
| Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance | Total Protect Plus | 13,882 | 9,085 |
| Future Generali Life Insurance | Flexi Online Term Plan | 7,964 | 5,259 |
| HDFC Life Insurance | Click 2 Protect Life | 21,334 | 13,499 |
| ICICI Prudential Life Insurance | iProtect Smart | 16,201 | 13,391 |
| Kotak Life Insurance | Kotak e-Term | 17,582 | 11,210 |
| Max Life Insurance | Smart Secure Plus | 18,345 | 11,466 |
| PNB Metlife Life Insurance | Mera Term Plan Plus | 15,694 | 11,328 |
| SBI Life Insurance | e-Shield Next | — | 13,683 |
| TATA AIA Life Insurance | SRS Vitality Protect | 18,945 | 11,546 |
*Above calculation is done for a 30-year old man who is staying in Delhi and looking for Rs 1 Crore sum assured coverage.
Lying at the time of filing policy application is equal to fraud and will lead to the following implications:-
Individual can be charged with fraud
Insurer can consider the policy null and void
Remember, term insurance ensures that your loved ones stay financially secured in the event of your death. Lying to the insurance company puts your family’s security at risk. The customer needs to be honest about their smoking habits because life insurers take smoking as a serious condition and are extremely tough if they later find any false declaration.
Note: Know what is term life insurance first and then buy a term plan for your loved ones.
If the policyholder quit smoking, they can request the insurer to recalculate the premium of the insurance policy at the time of policy renewal. The insurer may cut the premium rates depending upon the amount of time elapsed since the policyholder last smoked. While every insurer has its own rules for someone who quit smoking, usually an insured should stay away from nicotine for at least two years before they would be called non-smoker.
Note: Check out the best term life insurance in India and choose one that suits your requirements.
†Policybazaar does not endorse, rate or recommend any particular insurer or insurance product offered by any insurer. This list of plans listed here comprise of insurance products offered by all the insurance partners of Policybazaar. For a complete list of insurers in India refer to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India website, www.irdai.gov.in
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