Health insurance can be less expensive if you are in good health

Your health insurance can be far less expensive if you are in good shape.

Perhaps you smoke, or drink, or do recreational drugs. Maybe you do not exercise enough, or you don’t eat right as often as you should. Those lifestyle choices can cost you.

If you do not already have health insurance and then decide that you want or need it, you may find that you have a harder time obtaining it if you are not in good shape. You might smoke and then decide to have health insurance, but discover that your premiums as a smoker are quite high. The premiums are high because when you smoke, you put your health at risk. Since insurance companies are in business to make money and take reasonable risks insuring people, if you smoke, or are quite obese, you may not be considered to be a reasonable insurable risk. That means you will pay more for insurance. Those who do not smoke or who are not significantly overweight do not shell out the same kind of money on premiums.

Many insurance companies charge premiums according to the health of every applicant. Age, gender and occupation are also factored into the cost, as are pre-existing and current health issues. Figuring out a person’s premium is done according to the Health Status Rating (HSR) system, which charges higher premiums for those with a history of medical conditions or those who have current health issues.

The HSR outlines certain conditions that may increase the chances that new applicants would need health care. For those who show a rating that indicates they may need health care, the premiums are higher. Right now, insurance companies have the option to decline coverage or offer the applicant a policy based on their health. Declining to insure someone may not be an option in 2014.

Many things may change next year, and in order to keep up with those changes, insurance policies may also evolve. Based on the changes to come, companies may start screening the wellness and health of their employees in order to take control the costs of health insurance they are offering to workers.

Staying in shape may mean substantial savings on health insurance premiums. Perhaps revamping your lifestyle is something to seriously consider.

Learn more at https://www.benepath.com