by Guest » Thu Jan 21, 2010 03:18 am
I quit cold turkey 6 months ago after an H1N1-related 'stay' in an ICU. I'm semi-retired/self-employed and I'll be 60 soon, and I'm guessing a big premium increase is coming(BCBS individual plan). How long before I'm considere a non-smoker for health insurance purposes and how do I go about it.
Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 11:52 pm Post Subject: Quitting smoking
First, good for you! I was a closet smoker for years before I quit. I'm not aware of BCBS having a higher premium for smokers. That is very common among life carriers, but very difficult to monitor and prove for health carriers. If you have a good independent agent you know, you might ask he or she to investigate for you. Or you can simply call the underwriting department at BCBS and ask the question directly.
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 10:09 pm Post Subject:
I don't know of a health or life carrier that doesn't charge more for a smoker.
Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:42 pm Post Subject:
That is a tough one becasue damage could already have been done in the insurance carriers eyes.
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 07:40 am Post Subject: Non-smoker rates
The insurance companies would want you to remain a non-smoker for a specified period of time, may be 1 full year or might just extend to 3 - 5 years, before you qualify for the non-smoker rates. This is because most of the smokers quit for only a short span of time and then they return to smoking.
Add your comment