Author: Michael Challiner

Thinking of giving up smoking? Maybe the thought of England’s 2007 smoking ban in enclosed public places is niggling away. Could this be the spur you need to finally kick the habit? Think of what you could buy with the money saved – that holiday the family have been talking about, your son’s new bike, simply more money to spend maybe?

Here are some more thoughts:
· Several thousand people have given up smoking since the ban came into force in Ireland and Scotland.
· It has been found that the average smoker spends over £90,000 in a lifetime.
· The Health Development Agency tells us that smoking is “the biggest single cause of illness and premature death, killing some 83,200 people a year in England alone.”
· Become a non smoker and you’ll save around 50% on your health and life insurance premiums, not to mention living longer!
· Your health will undoubtedly benefit. Also the health of your family. Passive smoking creates risks too!

Life and critical illness insurance premiums are rising. The popularity and ease of access to the internet over the past few years has encouraged people to search for lower and lower insurance rates. Insurers have cut the cost of cover as much as they can in order to be competitive, but the underwriters have now decided the time has come to redress the balance. The insurance company will publish their standard rate, which will be based on fit and healthy individuals. There will then be an increased premium for those that the insurers feel are at risk of health problems. That means you!

It doesn’t take long for the insurance companies to consider you’re a safer bet for them. Most companies accept you are a non-smoker after 12 smoke-free months, although a few require a little longer and it can be as long as 5 years. Once you’re successfully over this (normally 12 month) period you can start to think about your future insurance needs. The first thing to do is to contact your insurer and ask for you policy to be re-assessed.

Be completely truthful – any claims will be thoroughly checked and your Doctor will be asked to confirm that you are a non-smoker. If anything is out of order, the claim will be rejected under the insurer’s non-disclosure rules.

The new quote will show a big reduction in the premium. You may well be able to save even more money by searching the internet to find out what other companies have to offer. If you decide to change insurers, don’t cancel your original until you’re certain that you’ve been accepted by the new company, after they’ve checked your application form including details of health records. Cancellation charges won’t apply to the old policy, so it’s simple to change insurers. You don’t even have to let the old company know, simply cancel your direct debit and when it’s queried just say that you no longer need the policy.

No one said it would be easy, but it has to worthwhile. For the sake of your health. Good Luck.

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