Health Insurance Rates for Ex-Smokers

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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When you quit smoking, you save on health insurance.

Health insurance companies charge according to the potential for an illness. Most companies have a higher rate for customers who smoke, just as they do for customers who are extremely overweight. The additional charge offsets the increased possibility of severe illness.

Significance

Smokers have a higher incidence of lung disease, lung cancer, emphysema and heart artery disease, as well as increased cholesterol, high blood pressure, potential for blood clots and impaired lining of the blood vessels.

Bodily repairs

The body starts to repair itself if you don't smoke for 20 minutes. Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal after eight hours, as do carbon monoxide levels. After 24 hours of no smoking, the potential for a heart attack is reduced by 50 percent.

Longer-Term Effects

Lung function improves by 30 percent in two weeks. It takes nine months to relieve shortness of breath and improve lung resistance to infection. The potential for a coronary is cut in half after a year of no smoking.

Lung Disease

After five to 10 years without smoking, your risk for lung cancer goes back to that of a nonsmoker.

Tobacco-Free Year

Insurance companies know these statistics too. People who quit smoking need to go at least a year without tobacco before they pay the same rates as nonsmokers.