When your health insurance policy was first set up, you were asked about your tobacco use. If you said you were a smoker, your premium went up. But if you hadn’t used tobacco for over a year and indicated that, your premium was a bit lower.
The reason for this policy is simple: Smokers tend to have more health problems, so higher premiums help balance the insurance company’s risk. But what if you honestly said you didn’t smoke when you got the insurance, but then started smoking a year later?
This situation is covered in the fine print of your policy. Usually, your premiums would stay the same. Health insurance generally considers your health status when you sign up, not your current health. Since you weren’t a smoker when you signed up, the insurance won’t adjust your premium for your new smoking habit.
However, many people lie about their smoking habits on insurance forms. A study found that two-thirds of people would lie on their insurance paperwork to get a better rate. Even if you were honest about smoking at first, the insurance company might still doubt your honesty, especially if you make a claim related to a smoking-related illness.
If you get lung cancer or another smoking-related disease, the underwriter might review your initial answers about tobacco use. If you had claimed not to be a smoker, the company might get suspicious. Underwriters are trained to scrutinize claims and save the company money, so they might look for reasons to deny your claim.
From the insurance company’s viewpoint, this approach makes sense. Most people start smoking in their teens, not suddenly later in life. Insurers know many people lie about their smoking on insurance forms. So why should they cover your claim now if you haven’t paid the higher premium for smokers?
Even if you were honest from the start, your situation looks bad if you can’t prove you weren’t smoking when you got the policy. Can you pinpoint the exact date you started smoking?
Making a claim for an illness unrelated to your smoking can be challenging. So, even though new smokers’ claims shouldn’t be affected according to your policy, don’t assume it will be easy if the insurance company finds out about your smoking habit.