Some people think that those who smoke and use tobacco can not qualify for any type of life insurance. That is not true. What happens is that their rates tend to be higher but they can in fact get life insurance.

The reason their rates are so much higher is because  part of how the insurance company comes up with their rates is based on health. They also check to find out what risky behaviors a person might have. While you never really know if someone might die at an earlier age, some people do live riskier lives and will be more likely to pass away before those that don’t live that way.

Since smoking and tobacco use is linked to lung cancer and other types of diseases, it is seen as a risk. The insurance companies will assume that those that smoke will be more likely to pass away than those who don’t. They want to protect themselves from the added risk so they do charge more.

Sometimes the smokers rates are even double what they would be for those that do not smoke. This can make things difficult for some people but it is just the way that the insurance companies function. The best thing for a smoker to do is to shop around for rates that are more affordable.

Some companies will count you as a non-smoker if you have not smoked in over a year. Other companies won’t do that so you need to check and make sure. It is important to have life insurance so that your family will be protected if something were to happen to you. It would be important so that they don’t have to worry about how they will pay for the funeral as well as the bills.