It is no question that smoking is bad for you and the people around you, but is it really true that smoking will raise your health insurance costs? The simple answer is, yes. Some employers actually penalize their employees that smoke because they put the whole company into a higher risk pool, which has higher insurance rates. It is not fair for the employees that do not smoke, that are in good health to pay the same amount of money as the employees that are causing the health insurance costs to increase. People that smoke have a shorter life expectancy, by at least 7 years. One in five deaths is caused by smoking a cigarette. So with all the bad things about smoking, it is wonder that people still continue to purchase the “cancer sticks.”
Businesses have the right to fire an employee that has lied about smoking on their health insurance coverage forms. Employers also have the right to decline employment to people that smoke. The reason why so many businesses are against smokers is not only because of the health insurance costs, but also because smokers take about 8 more sick days annually from healthy employees that do not smoke. The cost of sick leave alone will cause an employer to lose thousands of dollars on lost production costs and wages.
Smokers not only pay more money for health insurance, they also pay more money for life insurance. Since smokers are at risk for a handful of health problems like cancer, life insurance companies will charge them more money because you are at risk for dying younger. Home insurance companies will also charge you larger premiums if you are a smoker. The reason for this is because of the risk of a fire being started in your home due to a cigarette.
Not only will you pay for life insurance, home insurance, and health insurance, you will get nailed by the auto insurance company for a higher premium. The reason auto insurance companies charge more money is due to the fact that smokers tend to drive while smoking. This causes them to be distracted from the road and they can drive recklessly.
What about when the time comes for you to sell your house or your car? Well, you aren’t going to get as much money out of the car or the home because it smells like smoke. It will take several professional cleaning services to remove the smoke from your carpet and walls and even then it may still smell like smoke. Renters that smoke also pay more money because it decreases the value of the apartment.
The other cost you need to consider is dental care. People that smoke tend to have yellow teeth so they pay money to have their teeth whitened. Some people even cap all of their teeth or they have veneers. Smoking causes you to inhale several acids and chemicals, these harmful toxins pass right through your mouth and they start to break down the enamel on your teeth. As the enamel breaks down, your teeth are vulnerable to cavities and other tooth problems. Since smokers are visiting the dentist more, some dentists will charge you more money for being a smoker. The dental insurance company also may not pay as much money on the dental work you have done.
When you add up all the money it costs to fuel your addiction to smoking, you need to ask yourself if it is really worth it. Smoking costs over $75 billion in direct medical expenses each year which adds up to be about $3,400 in health insurance for each employee that smokes.