life insurance and e-cigs

[NukeDOC]

so recently i took on a new life insurance policy in which i applied for "preferred plus" status due to the fact that my only risk factor is the fact that i used to smoke... but now that i dont...

the wordage that is used in the questionaire is if i use tobacco products. tobacco.

so i get a letter in the mail stating that my premium has been adjusted to that of "tobacco". i called the underwriters and asked under what criteria were they assuming that i was using tobacco products. and they replied that it was the presence of nicotine in my urinalysis. well thats obvious!

so per their instruction i contested their findings by letting them know that i have been tobacco free for quite some time now, and dont plan on ever returning to tobacco usage because of my e-cig... which does deliver nicotine, just not from a source of tobacco.

i will send the letter of contest out today and hopefully they will reconsider their findings. but i was wondering if anyone else has any experience in this. and if there are any law types that can shed light on this matter, being that the provided medical history and their method of detection are, in modern times, two different things. can they still consider me a tobacco user just because of my use of nicotine? isnt it like telling me i dont qualify for lower premiums because i have caffeine in my system... not because i drink coffee, but because i like to eat chocolate???

 

[cozzicon]

so recently i took on a new life insurance policy in which i applied for "preferred plus" status due to the fact that my only risk factor is the fact that i used to smoke... but now that i dont...

the wordage that is used in the questionaire is if i use tobacco products. tobacco.

so i get a letter in the mail stating that my premium has been adjusted to that of "tobacco". i called the underwriters and asked under what criteria were they assuming that i was using tobacco products. and they replied that it was the presence of nicotine in my urinalysis. well thats obvious!

so per their instruction i contested their findings by letting them know that i have been tobacco free for quite some time now, and dont plan on ever returning to tobacco usage because of my e-cig... which does deliver nicotine, just not from a source of tobacco.

i will send the letter of contest out today and hopefully they will reconsider their findings. but i was wondering if anyone else has any experience in this. and if there are any law types that can shed light on this matter, being that the provided medical history and their method of detection are, in modern times, two different things. can they still consider me a tobacco user just because of my use of nicotine? isnt it like telling me i dont qualify for lower premiums because i have caffeine in my system... not because i drink coffee, but because i like to eat chocolate???

I'm interested to hear your results

 

[fray]

from my experience if they find nicotine they designate you a "tobacco user" which puts you right up there with a smoker as far as rates

 

[Imagine]

also now that ecigs will be regulated as a tobacco product via the FDA ... i am sure insurance carriers will do the same. I also think this currently applies to those using the patch/snus/gum etc (those would produce positive nicotine results as well)...

 

[Jackinkc]

I am in the process of getting more life insurance also. From what I understand, they are currently treated E-cigs the same as tobacco. It's BS in my opinion, but I am hopeful with time they will make changes to that. I highly doubt it though. Remember, they are an insurance company.

 

[lynleestar]

I'm curious to see how they respond

 

[Hellen A. Handbasket]

At this time, Prudential Insurance Co. is probably the leader in insuring users of smokeless products for Life Insurance since they cater to cigar and smokeless tobacco product users. Most who use nicotine but are non-smokers fall under the insurer's second- and third-level plans and are considered "nonsmokers"— people who have smoked cigars or use smokeless products but not cigarettes for at least the past 12 months.

Differentiating between these two groups will depend on the frequency of use, as well as a whole list of other factors (blood pressure, family medical history, personal medical history, occupation, residence, etc).

If you still smoke Cigarettes, you'd go directly into the two "smoker" categories and are subject to the same additional factors.

It is my understanding that they include e-cig users in the 2nd and 3rd categories. Ask your Prudential insurance agent.
Here is the criteria: http://www.oberlanderdorfman.com/cotinine.pdf

Worth checking out to save some money on insurance if you have been vaping a year.

(All according to my husband who is a Broker for most of the large Life Insurance Companies and works with their agents)

 

[scott58]

E-cigs are perfect for insurance companies. They can give you the higher smoking rate, yet you will live long so you pay premiums longer for the same policy payout. Brilliant!

 

[TNT]

Random question: how much extra do smokers pay for life insurance? Where I work, we can buy up to 5x our yearly pay in insurance with no questions asked, except for age. So I'm just wondering what I'd be in for if I had to buy insurance for myself.

 

[Hellen A. Handbasket]

Smokers/tobacco users pay about 60% more. I'd grab up that insurance TNT! You can go to insurance company websites for on line quotes to see what you'd have to pay on your own and compare.

Hopefully, the industry will smarten up and catch up with the information and testing on e-cigs and smokeless tobacco products soon.

 

[mwa102464]

Why not just not use Nicotine for a few days before you pee in the cup while going through the Application process, ya it may be cheating the system but if anything ever happen and you passed away by the time they did the autopsy the Nic would be out of your system and your lungs would be clear ? Hello

 

[EvilGnome6]

Why not just not use Nicotine for a few days before you pee in the cup while going through the Application process, ya it may be cheating the system but if anything ever happen and you passed away by the time they did the autopsy the Nic would be out of your system and your lungs would be clear ? Hello

How long does it take for nicotine to clear your system?

 

[mwa102464]

Usually it's 3-4 days, though for a real heavy analog smoker it could be up to 20 days, I believe.

 

[melloyello]

nic stays in your body for 72 hrs if you have a normal bladder

 

[TNT]

Changed my mind.

 

[John Phoenix]

I have the best solution for this problem. Don't buy Life Insurance. I don't it's a scam designed to make the company rich. You don't need it anyway. If you put aside a small amount every paycheck till the time comes when you likely will die, you will have enough money with interest to cover all your expenses.

That's all you should look to life insurance to do. You should not hope to use life insurance like playing the craps table to make your kids rich after you die. People buy life insurance because they are indoctrinated into doing so from an early age. I say, Break those bonds of Slavery and take control of your own destiny.