Chewing Tobacco Life Insurance
Making sure your health risks are covered
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One high-risk category for life insurance is tobacco chewers. Whether you chew tobacco occasionally or everyday, you may be wondering how your tobacco use may affect your life insurance rates.
"Chew life insurance" is not impossible to find. To compare rates on life insurance policies for those who chew tobacco, contact an independent agent in our network. A local member agent can help you compare quotes and find the most suitable coverage for your needs and budget.
- One can of snuff has as much nicotine as 60 cigarettes
- Smokeless tobacco is reported to be consistently harder to quit than cigarettes
- Long-term users have are nearly 50% more likely to develop oral cancer than non-users
How to Get Life Insurance if You Chew Tobacco
There are some life insurance companies who realize that the occasional cigar, cigarette, dip of chewing tobacco or piece of nicotine gum poses a smaller health risk than heavy smokers or those who chew regularly.
Some of the more lenient life insurance companies will allow infrequent tobacco use so long as you don’t test positive for nicotine in your blood. There are other insurers that will give you non-smoker rates if you test positive for nicotine, but don’t smoke cigarettes.
The simplest way to find these more lenient life insurers is to work with an independent agent. A local member agent can help you assess options for life insurance coverage, even if you regularly chew tobacco.
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Is Chew Life Insurance Expensive?
If you chew tobacco, life insurance carriers all have their own methods to rate your risk of having to file a claim. Some of the more important variables include:
- Your age
- Your height and weight
- The general state of your health
- Your family medical history
- Your use of tobacco
In most instances, you will be required to take a medical exam and answer a health questionnaire. If you are an infrequent tobacco chewer who is in good health and still relatively young, there is a good chance you will receive a much higher rating.
This means your premiums will be lower or just about the same as a non-tobacco user, depending on the insurance company you select.
If you chew tobacco frequently, most insurers are likely to charge you more than non-tobacco users. Again it depends on how the insurance company views your chewing tobacco consumption.
A company that is more lenient towards chewing tobacco will be more affordable than a company that does not differentiate about the use of tobacco or other nicotine products.
Can You Hide Tobacco Use from the Insurance Company?
Most life insurance policies require that you have a medical exam with blood tests, and will typically test your blood for the presence of nicotine.
Even if you buy a policy that does not require an exam, life insurance is subject to a two-year “contestability period” during which they can cancel your coverage or deny a life insurance claim if you have falsified information about your chew habit.
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If I Buy Chew Life Insurance and Quit, Will My Rates Be Lower?
In most instances, you will need to be tobacco-free for at least a year before you qualify for lower rates. The company may re-write your policy and would likely have you undergo another medical test to confirm the absence of nicotine in your blood.
Some insurers require that you quit for up to three years before they will give you non-smoker rates.
Tobacco chewers are treated more leniently by some insurance carriers than others, so it pays to look around and find these more lenient companies. The easiest way to find chew life insurance for your needs and budget is to contact an independent agent in our Network. These agents can research numerous companies in order to find the coverage you need.
Contact an independent agent today for help finding the best chew life insurance policies at the most affordable rate.