Because life insurance is often an important part of a financial plan, it’s important to understand what to expect if you’re a smoker. Cigarette smoking is inherently linked to health issues and other smoking-related disease. And you don’t have to already have health consequences in order to get stuck with higher life insurance rates if you smoke. Simply being a smoker will usually push you into higher rates when you shop for life insurance. Here's everything you need to know.

1. What smokers must know about
Life Insurance Purchase
If you practice smoking, you probably know that it can impact your
health. But did you know you will likely end up paying significantly
more for life insurance if you smoke?

2. Because life insurance is often an
important part of a financial plan,
it’s important to understand what
to expect if you’re a smoker.

3. Why Do
Smokers Have
Different Life
Insurance
Rates?

4. Life expectancy is the
basis for life insurance
rates. So factors that
impact your potential
“mortality,” or life
insurance expectancy,
are factored into life
insurance quotes.
Cigarette smoking is inherently linked
to health issues and other smoking-
related disease.
And you don’t have to already have
health consequences in order to get
stuck with higher life insurance rates
if you smoke.
Simply being a smoker will usually
push you into higher rates when
you shop for life insurance.

5. Vaping & e-cigarettes
Thin hand-rolled cigarettes
Cigars
Pipes
Hookahs
Chewing tobacco
Snuff
Dissolvable tobacco
Nicotine replacement therapies
Heated tobacco products
So what counts as smoking? Cigarettes are an
obvious candidate. But there are many other forms
of “nicotine delivery systems” that can peg you as a
“smoker,” “tobacco user” or “nicotine user” when
you’re shopping for life insurance:
What Counts as “Smoking”?

6. Marijuana users are sometimes also
considered smokers, depending on
whether the use is occasional or
regular.

7. Smoking vs.
Non-Smoking Life
Insurance Rates
Brace yourself for high life
insurance quotes if you’re a
smoker. We found that smoking
rates will easily be double or
triple a non-smoking rate. The
increase will vary by your age,
gender and the coverage amount.

8. How Do Life
Insurance
Companies Find
Out That You’re
a Smoker?

9. When you fill out a life
insurance application,
it’s crucial to be
truthful with all your
answers. Life insurance
companies have many
ways to verify
everything you have
stated on the
application.
A primary method of verification is with
a life insurance medical exam, which
typically includes taking blood and
urine samples. These samples will
reveal cotinine in your system, which is
a byproduct of nicotine.
Continine can also be detected in
saliva and hair samples. But testing
for cotinine isn’t foolproof. Smokers
may be able to slip through if they
haven’t smoked in a day or two.

10. Doctors’ records - Requesting your medical records is a routine part of many
life insurance applications. Nicotine use will likely be noted in your records.
Pharmaceutical databases - Life insurers often get lists of your past and
current prescriptions. Nicotine use might show up there.
Past life and health insurance applications.
Social media - Insurance companies are increasingly using social media sites
such as Facebook to look for evidence of factors that affect rates.
The sound of your voice
Among the other ways a company could find out if you are a smoker:

11. Generally if you haven’t smoked for 12 months
or more, you’re considered a non-smoker. The
non-smoking time length rules vary among
insurance companies.
How Long do You Have to Quit
Smoking to be Considered a
Non-Smoker for Life
Insurance?

12. What if I Start
Smoking After I Buy
Life Insurance?
Once you buy a policy, a life insurance
company can’t raise your rates. So if
you start deep-sea diving or smoking
afterwards, you’ll still enjoy the life
insurance rates you already locked in.
The same is true for health conditions
you develop after buying a policy.

13. If you purchased a life insurance at a smoking
rate and have now quit for at least a year, you
may be able to get a better price. You can ask
your life insurance company how long you
have to quit to be considered a non-smoker.
What if I Quit
Smoking Later?

14. The key to finding the best life
insurance rates – whether you use
nicotine or not – is talking to an
experienced life insurance advisor.

15. Consult our independent life
insurance advisors for the best
advice at no additional fees.

16. An independent insurance advisor can navigate you
through many options, compare for you premiums
across dozens of different companies and often get
lower rate than you would get on your own at no
extra fees and zero obligation.

17. 18558687878 csteam@trustlife.ca
www.trustlife.ca