Term Life Insurance Articles
How Alcohol And Tobacco Use Can Effect Your Life Insurance Application
2010-11-14
When filling out a life insurance application, there will be questions regarding alcohol and tobacco use because life insurance companies consider those who use tobacco or alcohol as higher risk than nonusers.
In some case, insurers will refuse to insure those who indicate that they use tobacco or alcohol. Other insurance companies may simply request more medical information. In the end, an insurer will assess their risks and may decide to issue a policy but raise the rates to cover the increased risk.
Alcohol consumption varies widely from one person to the next. Insurance companies will likely consider your admission that you drink alcohol along with the questions you answer about alcohol and drug abuse and any medical conditions that you have. They may check your driving record to see if it indicates that you have a history of drinking while driving. If they see any evidence of this it will raise a red flag. This makes you a much higher risk to them since you might die as the result of drunk driving, and it also indicates the extent to which you use alcohol. They may also look at your medical history to see if you have any conditions that might be the result of excessive alcohol consumption. Often a blood test is ordered to see if you have the enzymes in your system that are the result of alcohol consumption. These combined factors will determine the impact that alcohol consumption will have on your life insurance application.
Use of tobacco products is also a subjective area. An occasional cigar smoker is certainly in a different risk category than a person who smokes two packs per day. Again, the questions on the life insurance application about your use and your medical history are the first step in determining your risk level. A survey of your medical records reveal factors like heart disease or asthma that are substantially compounded by tobacco use. As part of a medical exam for a life insurance application, a urine sample may be taken to test for tobacco in your system. The information they gather will determine if the policy is issued and at what premium rate.
A large percentage of the population drinks or smokes to some degree, thus there are certainly policies available even if you have one or both of these habits. Be sure to answer questions about usage and medical history accurately because even if you are issued a policy, if your family should need to make a claim and they discover your were not truthful then no benefits would be paid. Life insurance for smokers and those who drink alcohol are available, although the rates are likely to be higher.
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When filling out a life insurance application, there will be questions regarding alcohol and tobacco use because life insurance companies consider those who use tobacco or alcohol as higher risk than nonusers.
In some case, insurers will refuse to insure those who indicate that they use tobacco or alcohol. Other insurance companies may simply request more medical information. In the end, an insurer will assess their risks and may decide to issue a policy but raise the rates to cover the increased risk.
Alcohol consumption varies widely from one person to the next. Insurance companies will likely consider your admission that you drink alcohol along with the questions you answer about alcohol and drug abuse and any medical conditions that you have. They may check your driving record to see if it indicates that you have a history of drinking while driving. If they see any evidence of this it will raise a red flag. This makes you a much higher risk to them since you might die as the result of drunk driving, and it also indicates the extent to which you use alcohol. They may also look at your medical history to see if you have any conditions that might be the result of excessive alcohol consumption. Often a blood test is ordered to see if you have the enzymes in your system that are the result of alcohol consumption. These combined factors will determine the impact that alcohol consumption will have on your life insurance application.
Use of tobacco products is also a subjective area. An occasional cigar smoker is certainly in a different risk category than a person who smokes two packs per day. Again, the questions on the life insurance application about your use and your medical history are the first step in determining your risk level. A survey of your medical records reveal factors like heart disease or asthma that are substantially compounded by tobacco use. As part of a medical exam for a life insurance application, a urine sample may be taken to test for tobacco in your system. The information they gather will determine if the policy is issued and at what premium rate.
A large percentage of the population drinks or smokes to some degree, thus there are certainly policies available even if you have one or both of these habits. Be sure to answer questions about usage and medical history accurately because even if you are issued a policy, if your family should need to make a claim and they discover your were not truthful then no benefits would be paid. Life insurance for smokers and those who drink alcohol are available, although the rates are likely to be higher.
