Here's How Your Lifestyle Impacts Your Health Insurance

A health emergency can knock on your door anytime and burn a deep hole in your pocket. In order to deal with such health emergencies, the demand for health insurance has been rising to a great extent. But, do you know that your lifestyle can alter the health insurance premium amount? Yes, you have got us right, an unhealthy lifestyle not just threatens your well-being but also affects the health insurance premium adversely. This is because a health insurance premium is determined based on your well-being and if you lead an unhealthy lifestyle, then the chances of falling ill are quite high. So, here is a guide to how lifestyle changes affect health insurance premiums. 

Effect of Unhealthy Lifestyle on Health Insurance Premiums

Let us understand the effect of an unhealthy lifestyle with an example. Imagine a situation where three individuals decide to buy a health insurance plan from the same insurance company. However, the premium for all three people A, B, and C differs. This is because A indulged in smoking and drinking, B has a high BMI, and C on the other hand leads a healthy lifestyle. Thus, the health insurance premium of A and B is slightly higher than that of C. 

Listed below are the factors that affect the health insurance premium

• Smoking: Smoking is not just dangerous for your health but for your health insurance premium too as it increases the health insurance premium. Smoking is also the root cause of several other diseases like cancer. This is the reason why when health insurance companies decide the premium for individuals who are smokers then they set their premium amount higher as compared to non-smokers.

• Drinking: Just like smoking, if you are a person who drinks alcohol or other intoxicants to a greater extent, then you will have to pay a higher health insurance premium. This is because you are prone to falling ill as compared to those who do not drink. Also, understand that if you lie to your insurer about these habits, then not will your claim be rejected. 

• Obesity: Nowadays, many of us have this habit of sitting for hours without doing any physical activity. Such an unhealthy habit adversely leads to increased weight. And if you are overweight and have a higher Body Mass Index or BMI, then be informed that your health insurance premium will be higher. The prime reason behind this is that overweight individuals are more likely to get affected by health conditions as compared to others. 

• Occupation: Your professional engagement is a part of your lifestyle and thus if you are involved in a profession that is harmful to your health, then your health insurance premium will be higher. For instance, if you are working in the chemical industry, then you are at a higher risk of injuries, thus your health insurance in such a case will be higher.

• Immediate family member’s health condition: Your immediate family member’s health condition also plays a major role in determining the health insurance premium. For instance, if your parents are diabetic, then your chances of getting diabetes are higher, thus the health insurance premium will be higher. Also, it is better to disclose such health conditions to your insurer so that the health insurance premium can be accordingly determined.

• Engagement in sports activities: If you frequently engage in dangerous sports activities such as scuba diving, biking, and more, then your health insurance premium will be higher. The more you engage in such activities, the more will be the risk of you getting injuries, so the health insurance premium will be higher. 
• Eating habits: If you engage yourself in eating junk food or unhealthy food, then your health insurance premium will be higher. As if you eat junk, then you are more likely to get affected by health conditions like high cholesterol, high bp, and more. Thus, in turn, the health insurance premium will be higher. 

Apart from these lifestyle-based factors, there are many other factors that affect the health insurance premium such as the following: 

• Your age is also an important factor in determining the health insurance premium. So, individuals who are older need to pay a higher insurance premium as compared to others.
• Based on the type of health insurance plan you buy, your health insurance premium will accordingly vary. If you are buying a family health insurance plan, then the health insurance premium will be higher as compared to the individual health insurance plan. 

Take Away

Thus, health insurance companies are bound to pay attention to these lifestyle habits while determining the health insurance premium. So, make sure to lead a healthy lifestyle, that will not just keep you healthy but also save you from paying higher health insurance premiums.

Also read: Does health insurance cover disability?