Does Vaping Affect Life Insurance Rates?

Before we dive into the details of life insurance rates for e-cig smokers and where to find the best rates, let’s take some time to answer some frequently asked questions about life insurance for smokers.

Getting into electronic cigarettes is a widespread habit today, especially for people who want to reduce their reliance on cigarette smoking. Roughly 10% of the population uses electronic cigarettes today.

What Are the Effects of E-cigarettes on the Body?

While e-cigarettes are marketed as a safer alternative to traditional tobacco cigarettes, they are not without potential adverse effects on the body. Here are some of the possible negative effects of e-cigarettes:

1. Respiratory issues: E-cigarettes can cause respiratory problems, such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. The inhalation of vaporized chemicals and particles can lead to lung inflammation, which can cause or worsen respiratory symptoms.
2. Cardiovascular problems: The nicotine in e-cigarettes can cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, leading to cardiovascular problems over time. Long-term use of e-cigarettes has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
3. Addiction: E-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance. Regular use of e-cigarettes can lead to nicotine addiction, which can be difficult to quit and adversely affect overall health.
4. Oral health issues: E-cigarettes can adversely affect oral health, including dry mouth, gum inflammation, and tooth decay. The chemicals in e-cigarette vapor can also damage the cells in the mouth, leading to oral cancer.
5. Adverse effects on fetal development: Pregnant women who use e-cigarettes can potentially harm the development of their fetus. E-cigarette vapor can contain harmful chemicals and heavy metals, which can cross the placenta and harm the developing fetus.

It’s important to note that the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes are still being studied, and more research is needed to understand the potential risks associated with their use entirely.

How Life Insurance Companies View E-cigarette Smokers

A few life insurance companies have started offering standard rates for people who use e-cigarettes sparingly (less than twice a month), but they’re not going to take your word for it.

This means they’ll require a urine test to determine that there is a negative nicotine/cotinine marker in your urine sample. If you choose to pursue this, you’ll likely be required to have a life insurance medical exam and hope that no other issues pop up after they’ve completed your blood and urine analysis.

A handful of companies have changed their underwriting and are offering applicants “non-smoking” rates for their premiums if they haven’t used regular tobacco or e-cigarettes for a year or more. You’ll need to contact an independent insurance professional to find out which companies they represent have more liberal guidelines when it comes to vaping.

E-cigarettes vs. Tobacco

When you use electronic cigarettes, you are inhaling vapor produced by heating liquids rather than smoke from burning tobacco.

While there are arguments that e-cigarettes and vapes are safe alternatives to smoking cigarettes, this claim has little to no backing due to a lack of scientific research.

Because of the lack of research on vapes and e-cigs, most life insurance companies are still considering people smoking these new devices to be in the same risk classification as cigarette smokers.

While this may seem unfair because many people start smoking e-cigs and vapes to quit smoking cigarettes, it is essential to remember that any type of smoke inhalation is damaging to the body.

Not to mention, many vapes and e-cig liquids contain equal or higher levels of nicotine than cigarettes. Even those with less or no nicotine content are considered dangerous to health.

This makes sense when you consider that e-cigs and vape juice flavorings have been known to contain over 6,000 chemicals. This type of smoking involves superheating condensed vapors in the form of liquids with a viscosity similar to syrup using lead coils.

Lead is known to be linked to cancer and other diseases. On top of this, once this liquid turns to vapor in its excited state, naturally, it wants to expand. Once grown, it cools and condenses into liquid form in your lungs.

While this has not been directly correlated to any specific health condition yet due to lack of research, it has been postulated by many doctors and respected physicians that vaping and e-cig usage can cause popcorn lung and chronic bronchitis.

While smoking e-cigarettes may be a somewhat safer alternative, it is not secure or harmless, and life insurance companies are very aware of this.

Is vaping healthier than cigarettes?

Cigarette smoke typically contains 69 carcinogenic compounds. The juices found in electronic cigarettes contain just five (as far as we know now). 

However, on average, the nicotine content of vapes is considerably higher than that of cigarettes. For instance, one cigarette contains about 9mg of nicotine, while one teaspoon of vape juice contains about 12mg.

There is, of course, the choice for vapers to decide exactly how much nicotine is contained in their juices, with levels ranging from 0mg of nicotine to 200mg in the typical 30mL to 60mL in e-liquids used for vaping.

Overall, vaping may be slightly healthier than smoking, but this has yet to be scientifically proven. As a result, life insurance companies still classify vape smokers in the same risk class as cigarette smokers.

If e-cigarettes are used as a substitute for tobacco, do you qualify for non-smoker insurance rates?

In some cases, yes. Americo Life Insurance, for example, has its “Quit smoking” advantage whereby smokers are given the “non-smoker” rates for the first three years of their policy.

If, after three years, you have quit smoking, you can continue paying the premiums at the start of the policy.

If you have not quit smoking, you can keep the same amount of coverage but pay more, or pay the same monthly premium and decrease your coverage.

Most life insurance companies are sympathetic toward smokers who are trying to quit, and they offer lower life insurance rates to those who do. However, these lower rates are not usually available for smokers who have already applied for life insurance until they have not smoked for 12 months or more (depending on the company).

Once you have quit for over a year, with most life insurance companies, you can retake the medical examination to reclassify in a better health class.

Typically, this allows smokers who have quit to obtain life insurance rates within 10% or closer to non-smokers in the preferred health class, barring any other health complications.

Life Insurance Rates for E-cigarette Smokers vs. Non-Smokers

Life insurance companies typically charge higher premiums to individuals who vape nicotine than non-smokers. The specific amount of the increase can vary depending on the insurance company and the policy being offered.

Generally, individuals who use e-cigarettes or vape products are classified as smokers by life insurance companies, even if they do not use traditional tobacco products. This is because vaping can still pose health risks, and studies have shown that it can lead to adverse health effects like smoking.

The increase in premiums for individuals who vape compared to non-smokers can vary depending on factors such as age, health status, and the amount of coverage sought. Some life insurance companies may offer policies specifically tailored to individuals who vape, which may have significantly higher premiums than policies for non-smokers.

It’s important to note that life insurance premiums are based on various factors, and smoking or vaping is just one of them. Suppose you are considering purchasing life insurance and are a vaper or smoker. In that case, it’s best to shop around and compare policies from multiple companies to find the best coverage and price for your individual needs.

Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance Rates for Smokers

For smokers who may not be able to find affordable life insurance coverage with traditional term and permanent life insurance policies, guaranteed issue life insurance may be the best option.

Guaranteed issue life insurance is guaranteed to be issued, as the name implies. This means that regardless of the applicant’s health, they can obtain coverage without necessary medical examination or questions. These types of policies are permanent – they offer life insurance for life.

This type of life insurance is provided in small face amounts, usually below $50,000, with a few companies such as United Home Life offering guaranteed issue life insurance coverage up to $100,000.

Due to the inherent risk of people who apply for this type of policy, and the fact that payouts are inevitable, guaranteed issue policies have higher premiums per $1,000 of coverage than traditional life insurance coverage.

However, smokers can easily find affordable, guaranteed issue coverage reasonably easily.

Due to the high cost per $1,000 of insurance, guaranteed issue life insurance policies are typically only recommended for smokers who have health conditions that negatively affect rates or for smokers who are too old to obtain affordable term life insurance coverage.

Finding the Best Life Insurance Coverage for E-cigarette Smokers

When finding the best life insurance rates, policies, and companies for e-cigarette smokers, we recommend speaking with an expert.

The resources on the internet can be beneficial but do not account for individual factors that can also affect your life insurance rates. Speaking with an expert is the best way to get speeds that are explicitly tailored to your needs.

Our independent life insurance professionals work with dozens of the best life insurance companies in the market to help our clients find the best life insurance policy for them and their families.

Give us a call today at 866-868-0099 and speak with an agent who can help explain all of your options to you and help answer any questions regarding life insurance for e-cigarette smokers you may have.

Or, get started online, using our life insurance quote tool for quick and easy life insurance rate comparisons for smokers.