How does a company know that I’m a smoker to give me a high priced smoker life insurance rate?

Abigail

Thanks for asking, Abigail.

The Houston Texas smoker life insurance company can typically find out through two, very simple, ways:

• You cough it up.

Know that little question on your insurance form that asks you if you smoke? Well, if you check the yes box, then you are officially out of the smoking closet. Your company will rate you based on that. And you should definitely check it, because if you don’t, there are consequences.

• They catch you.

Since most Houston Texas smoker life insurance companies require a medical exam prior to guaranteeing service, it’s likely that if you’re any kind of a smoker at all it’ll come out in that process, whether through an admission to the doctor, or through blood and urine samples which will be tested for other conditions.

take care,

Fashun

What is a temporary term life insurance plan?

Mario

Great question.

A temporary term life insurance plan, usually called an annually renewable policy, is expensive, annoying, and hard to deal with–but sometimes necessary. I’ll give you some of the bare details: with a renewable plan, you will be given health insurance coverage for each year. At the end of the year, you can either allow it to expire, or you can renew it with the same kind of coverage. Problem is, when you renew it, you are rated all over again. So if you have an annually renewable plan for your entire life, then you’re going to get one price as a healthy 20 something, and a whole ‘nother (bigger) price as a middle aged person.

There are very few reasons to purchase a temporary term life insurance policy. If you’ve just quit smoking and don’t want to lock in the high rates you will get after only a couple of years without smoking, then you might get a temporary plan and get a real one once you’re able to get better rates. Same would go for if you have just gone into remission for cancer, or something like that.

One good reason NOT to get a term life insurance plan? You just don’t want to commit. Or you’re doing it at the last minute. Thirty years seems to long etc.. Instead of coming up with excuses, you can find a regular life insurance plan easily–by getting quotes and comparing them until you find a price and a policy you like.

take care,

Fashun

Should I buy term life insurance online?  I live in Houston Texas, if that matters at all.

Malcolm

Thanks for asking.

You CAN buy term life insurance online, but there’s an added question of whether or not you should. Online life insurance policy purchasing has its own pros and cons, so let’s look at a couple of those.

First of all, if you buy term life insurance policy online for yourself, then the company is probably going to forego the medical exam. Yeah, I can hear you cheering now, because you’re sure something terrible will come up in a medical exam, but for many people that’s an unfounded fear. Just because online life insurance doesn’t ask for a medical exam doesn’t mean you’re really saving money; you could end up paying more for less coverage.

At the same time, it’s hard to compare on a larger scale. Some companies discount online policies, while others do allow you to schedule medical exams and later purchase the final policy online, and companies save money selling policies online, and that helps you. So which is the best option? It’s best to take it on a case by case basis and get plenty of quotes.

take care,

Fashun

Will my weight be a factor when I compare life insurance rates?

Jack

Houston, TX

Thanks for your question, Jack.

And you bet it will. Being overweight (or drastically underweight) is the harbinger of ills, and there are enough associated with having a disproportionate amount of body fat to make any life insurance provider faint straight out. So when you compare life insurance rates in Houston, your risk for things such as high blood pressure, heart conditions, and advanced diabetes are all considered.

This applies even if you are in perfect health, eat right, exercise, and have always been doing this, and yet still happen to be a few pounds over the limit. There are a few exceptions to this, which is usually done on a company by company basis, but for the most part the more you weigh the more you pay.

It’s the worst for obese buyers, who pay many times more the regular person looking to compare life insurance rates, but everybody who has a non standard BMI will be seeing costly stars.

take care,

Fashun