Vaping & Health Insurance — Your Questions, Answered

When I first kicked cigarettes and started vaping, I couldn’t stop mentally listing all the ways I’m doing myself good…

… being able to finally walk up a flight of stairs without wheezing… 

… saying goodbye to coughing fits that would wake up the whole house in the morning… 

… finally saving some money on health insurance premiums… 

Ah, that last one didn’t pan out quite as I’d expected.

You see, when I was changing my health insurance policy, I had to go for a check-up. And, like every new insuree, I was tested for nicotine. The test came back positive. Of course, I immediately said that I was a vaper, figuring that should resolve everything.

It didn’t.

Long story short , my provider said that I’ll still be paying more, even though I didn’t smoke. They didn’t make a distinction between smokers and vapers — I was a nicotine user, and that was that.

If you’re a new smoker in the US, this is something you’ll want to know about, so The Kind Pen is here to dive in deeper:

Do Something for Yourself – Choose Kind Pen for Your Vaping Needs

Easy to Use Vapes I Built to Last I I Great for Beginners 100K + Happy Customers

Click Here to Get Your New Vape Getup Today

Why You’re Paying More if You’re Vaping

Because the government let’s the insurance companies charge you more.

That’s it, basically.

In 2016, when the FDA got regulatory power over vape products, e-cigarettes and vape liquids got lumped in with ‘tobacco products’.

This gave insurers the right to charge higher premiums — sometimes up to 50% higher — to vapers who declare that they’re vapers or test positive for nicotine.

In a nutshell, you’re getting discouraged from going from a bad option to a safer one, and until the regulatory framework changes, that’s going to be the reality that we live in.

In the meantime, you should at least know the answers to some of the more frequent questions around vaping and health insurance. 

Here are those answers.

#1 Does Vaping Affect Health Insurance?

Short answer — yes, it does.

When choosing an insurance policy, there are certain lifestyle elements that are considered. 

Depending on the rulebook of the insurer, your premium will be determined based on the assumed risks you take on a daily basis. Not to go into too much detail regarding other perils and risks that are noted in the policies boilerplate.

In this case, vaping must be noted to your insurer and in most cases, it will be taken into consideration. 

#2 Is Vaping Considered Smoking For Insurance Purposes?

Even though most vapers made the switch from cigarettes as a means to one day live nicotine-free life, in the eyes of the insurer’s vaping is still considered the same as smoking.

If we dive deeper into why this is the way it is, you will be astonished.

Actually, smoking cigarettes is not something that is taken into consideration, but the consumption of nicotine itself. It does not matter how you intake nicotine, for insurance purposes, it is all the same.

This means that, even though while smoking you inhale a ton of other unhealthy substances, nicotine is the main reason why your insurance premium will be high.

Therefore, health insurance for vapers in the US is considered the same as smoking because you are consuming nicotine. I know. Most vapers consider this unnecessary and would not agree with this definition. 

I must say, this has been a hot topic and the most usual question is: will there be any changes regarding the health insurance for vapers in the US?

So far, there haven’t been any official statements. This matter has been left to insurers to decide for themselves. Some did reconsider this and lowered their premiums, but to what extent?

#3 Does Vaping Show Up On Health Insurance Medical Tests?

Vaping is not something that can be tested, per se. There is no special test that will determine whether you are a vaper, however, every insurer has the right to issue several tests like blood, urine, or saliva via a mouth swab before approving applications.

This is not something uncommon since insurers must cover your overall health and determine the percentage of risk they take upon before issuing you with their services.

And what happens when you’re tested?

Well, they look for nicotine metabolites . If they find any, they declare you a smoker and your premium goes up. 

#4 Do You Have To Declare Vaping for Insurance Purposes?

Yes, you do. Even though you might be paying a few bucks more if something, God forbid, happens and it’s determined that your insurance policy is not correct you will be in much more trouble.

Holding out on important information like that makes your insurance agreement invalid. Do keep in mind that some stuff you might consider unimportant can make a huge difference to insurers. On top of that, the company has the right to review your application one or two years after the policy is in full effect just to make sure there was no misinformation or misrepresentations of any kind.

So, a friendly piece of advice, if it is on the application form — fill it in. At the end of the day being honest when applying will help ensure you get the coverage you and your family need.

#5 How Long Do You Have to Stay Away from Vaping for Insurance?

First of all, kudos to you if you decided to leave the nicotine life behind you. I don’t see any other reason why you would ask this if you haven’t decided to quit for good. 🙂

The magic number is 12 months.

Yup, that’s right. If you decide to quit smoking, vaping or consuming nicotine in any form or style you will need to stay away from it for one whole year before reaping the rewards. 

To some that might not seem too much, yet if you decide to quit do it for more beneficial reasons than to get a lower insurance premium. 

#6 Is It Better To Vape or Smoke?

At the end of the day, we can all agree that vaping is way better than smoking. There are a ton of facts that pretty much tell their own tale. 

Even though insurance companies are right to some degree, nicotine consumption present in both vaping and smoking differs.

Vaping will provide you with a cleaner version of nicotine without additives that will cause health issues like smoking does.

That said, from an insurance perspective, it doesn’t make much of a difference.

How to Sidestep Insurance Problems if You’re a Vaper?

If you are still not sure what to do regarding health insurance and vaping, hear me out.

Some options might be interesting to vapers.

The first one is obvious — start vaping on zero nicotine vape liquids. No nicotine = nothing to declare. Nothing to get tested for. Nothing that merits an increased premium.

Simple, right?

Another great option would be to go for the life insurance provided by your employer.

If you don’t see yourself quitting I advise you to get in touch with your employer. They usually have the option to get group life insurance plans. These plans often don’t separate smokers and non-smokers, and often there are no physical exams. All you need to do is sign that you agree on paying XY amount for life insurance, and that is it. At first, it sounds too good to be true, but this also has its downsides. These life insurance policies are not transferable, meaning if you decide to leave your employer you will be losing this perk too.

And last but not least, independent life insurance brokers.

Let’s be honest, you can go to any insurance website right now and in a few clicks have everything ready to go. However, if you are searching for the best health insurance for vapers in the US you might come short. Brokers are familiar with many companies’ policies in a way you will never be, and that is ok. It’s their job to know all in’s and out’s on this topic. But, you still need to be upfront and truthful regarding your usage. 

Don’t Lose Sleep Over It

That’s my final piece of advice to you.

Just don’t worry about it. Vaping means that you’re doing your health a big service. Every day you’re not smoking, you’re getting healthier. Soon, you’ll be able to wean yourself off of nicotine completely, too.

The fact that insurance companies are not high-fiving you for this is okay right now. You’re not doing it for them. Hopefully, the regulatory framework will all catch on soon, and we’ll have our lower payments. Until then, keep vaping, keep safe, and rock on!

Do Something for Yourself – Choose Kind Pen for Your Vaping Needs

Easy to Use Vapes I Built to Last I I Great for Beginners 100K + Happy Customers

Click Here to Get Your New Vape Getup Today

Source link

https://thedailyhealthjournal.com/vaping-health-insurance-your-questions-answered/