Can a Chronic Smoker Get Life Insurance?

Can a chronic smoker get life insurance? Yes, there are chronic smokers all over the place who have life insurance.

Chronic smokers, like all regular tobacco users, will have to pay higher premiums than others in their age and gender group just because of the fact that they smoke. A smoker is considered an automatic increased death risk to the life insurance company. However, there is no such thing as a category for "chronic smoker" in life insurance premium pricing. A smoker is a smoker, and that covers a broad range. The majority of life insurance companies categorize you as a "smoker" if you only smoke a couple of cigarettes per week, or are just a "social smoker". If you don't smoke but chew tobacco, they call you a "smoker".

So, on the one hand, a "chronic smoker" is no different from a "social smoker". As a matter of fact, you can be given a "preferred" rating (meaning you get lower premiums) while at the same time getting a "smoker" rating. There is such a premium category as Preferred Smoker. These people pay less money than Standard health risks but still more than Preferred Non-Smoker.

But therein lies a little twist. If you are a chronic smoker, you are much more likely to be suffering other negative effects from your smoking. If you aren't, the life insurance company won't be saying anything about it. But if you would call yourself a chronic smoker, you should be ready to have your premiums increased for other factors that are indirectly related to your very bad smoking habit.

If you are such a heavy smoker that you suck in more than two packs a day, you probably aren't participating in much physical exercise. This is a lifestyle question on your application. If you seem to be someone who gets hardly any physical exercise, that could negatively impact on you as a raise in your premiums. As a chronic smoker, you are more likely to have emphysema, heart problems, high blood pressure, and other health complications. If you are taking drugs for any of these conditions, you run the risk of having your premiums raised.

So, once again, while there is no test or category for "chronic smoker" in life insurance, your habit is likely to be cropping up in other ways in your life; and these other ways are likely to raise your premiums. If you are younger heavy smoker, these other health issues are less likely to have yet taken hold on you, so you may still get at least a Standard Smoker rating, or even Preferred Smoker if you are blessed with some very good genes.