Saving on Insurance :: Environmental and Health Concerns

Saving on Insurance
by author Lucretia Schanfarber

Life and health insurance companies want you to live a long, healthy life. But are their motives altogether altruistic? Insurance companies are in the business of maximizing profits, and it stands to reason that the healthier you are and the longer you live, the more money they make.

There are many measurable benefits to living a healthy life, for the individual, the family, and society at large. Reduced insurance rates are definitely one of the financial rewards those in good health can reap.

Ask a Pro

Russ Smart, MBA, is the owner of one of Canada’s first online insurance brokers. He’s been in the insurance business for 12 years and took the company “virtual” five years ago. He’s my family’s insurance guy.

“Do insurance companies consider a healthy lifestyle a plus when quoting insurance?” I asked him recently. “What about people who exercise regularly or take vitamins daily–is there any consideration for these healthier lifestyle practices?”

After a considered pause, Russ tells me there are three guaranteed ways to reduce life and health insurance rates.

“The first,” Russ says with a teasing tone in his voice, “is to choose your grandparents and parents well.”

Right. I try not to think too much about my own genetic inheritance. My parents departed this world on the train to glory in their early sixties. Heart failure, both of them.

I hear Russ saying, “The second way to reduce the cost of insurance is, don’t smoke.”

I figured he’d say both those things. That’s what they all say. “Okay, Russ, what’s the third?”

I wait for the answer. When he speaks again, his voice sounds more serious than before.
“Make the numbers work for you,” he finally says.

What’s he saying here? Win the lottery? Clean up at the blackjack table? “The numbers…?” My voice trails off, hoping to catch his drift.

“Yes, the numbers in what are called ‘measurable indicators,’ like blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.”

“Yeah, but what about all those people who take their vitamins religiously, never do drive-thrus, eat leafy greens and lentils, practise yoga, and walk five miles a day? Don’t they qualify for a discount?”

Even before I hear his chuckle, I realize if you’re really living the healthy life, your measurable indicators will confirm it.

“Think about it,” Russ says patiently. “Anyone can claim they’re taking nutritional supplements and exercising. Some people will fib about smoking. Even honest people who really are doing all those healthy things may change their habits for the worse. So insurance companies can’t base their rates on that kind of information. They have to have proof of a healthy lifestyle based on the numbers–the test results.”

Russ explains how insurance rates are calculated in more detail.

Be Healthy, Pay Less

Nearly all Canadian health and life insurance companies offer substantial savings to people without serious pre-existing health conditions whose measurable indicators are within the healthy range and whose parents did not die of an illness before the age of 60.

Using a kind of point system, insurance companies also factor in the applicant’s age, detailed personal health history and lifestyle, and family health history when calculating insurance premiums.

Obviously, there is nothing we can do to change our family’s health history, but there is much we can do to shape our own future health profile by improving our “measurable indicators.”

Underwriting Factors

Bringing and keeping cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight into healthy ranges and being a non-smoker are four major ways everyone can qualify for better rates. Other common considerations, called “underwriting factors” in the world of insurance, include asthma, alcohol consumption, and involvement in extreme sports.

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Lucretia Schanfarber is a writer and editor living in BC.

Source: alive #292, February 2007

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