Life Insurance For A Snuser

[Roo]

I know this has been discussed in the past but I wanted a fresh take on it from the Snuson Aggregate, as many of you are mothers and fathers, and all of you are snusers. I will be looking into purchasing life insurance very soon as I'm expecting my first child in December. I understand they have all kinds of boxes to check for tobacco usage. Now in the past, for health insurance, I have been inclined to lie about things like this, but I understand that if my life insurance provider needs to pay out a large sum to my dependents, they are damn-sure going to investigate the legitimacy of my policy and the answers to all questions asked in the initial paperwork. I certainly don't want my family to suffer because I lied to save some cheddar on the monthly premiums. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[chadizzy1]

It depends.
On mine it simply said "Are you a smoker?" To which I could say no.
Some ask if you use tobacco, and that includes any and all types. You can include an essay if you want with your form and see how the auditor guy thinks about it, but odds are even with the studies, they'll look at an oral tobacco product the same as dip.
Just hope it asks if you smoke.

[resnor]

Depending on how large your insurance policy will be for, they will sometimes do bloodtests...then it's no snus for you for a month before the test...lol.

[Premium Parrots]

The question is [usually] very simple. Do you use tobacco. For life and medical insurance , where you dam sure will get a physical, they will test for tobacco use. You lie you lose. I would abstain for a period of time [determined by member comments] and then apply. I would say 2 to 3 months. When I was honest and I found the rate was 40% more for a tobacco user they said that I can reapply as a non-user in 6 months, take the test, pass it and save some money. I wouldn't apply untill you quit, waited, and was sure you could pass the test.


you can be sure they will test for aids and tobacco.....and everything else under the sun

[Roo]

Thanks for the comments guys. I will apply as a smokeless user (the form I was looking at had categories for smokeless, cigarettes, cigars even I think, etc) and just deal with the high premiums. If I quite for 2-3 months just to pass a nicotine test I would just quit altogether, and that would be a good thing for me. Anyway, thanks, I appreciate the time.

[rickcharles606]

Sure you can quit just for the test (probably a saliva test, and sometimes a blood test) but that can present a problem down the line. Because, if you die of something that would require an autopsy, etc...they WILL look for nicotine in your blood and if they find it..they could deny your claim based on a lie in the application. Once you're issued a policy...the application and ALL of your answers become part of your policy. Inaccuracies on applications are the biggest reasons for denial of claims within the life insurance industry. Be careful. Sometimes going with a lower cost term policy instead of a fancy (expensive) whole life, universal life, variable universal, etc...is your best bet. Term life is far cheaper because all your paying for is the actual death benefit...no savings or retirement vehicle.

I still hold a life insurance license in a few states, lol. It was a phase I was going through. Thought I was going to build a life insurance empire "on the side"..ahaha

[c.nash]

I still hold a life insurance license in a few states, lol. It was a phase I was going through. Thought I was going to build a life insurance empire "on the side"..ahaha

Build an empire on the side. Hmmmm. I'm going to look into that. Lol

[rickcharles606]

Build an empire on the side. Hmmmm. I'm going to look into that. Lol

Calm down Scarface...lol

[resnor]

Really, Rick? I didn't know that. How is that enforceable? Like, you contract HIV when an infected heroin addict attacks you...your life insurance could deny the claim after you die? That seems effed up. If true, it's another arrow in my quiver on why I think insurance, in all forms, is such a scam.

[rickcharles606]

Really, Rick? I didn't know that. How is that enforceable? Like, you contract HIV when an infected heroin addict attacks you...your life insurance could deny the claim after you die? That seems effed up. If true, it's another arrow in my quiver on why I think insurance, in all forms, is such a scam.

It's less about accidental contractions of disease than it is about lying or making misrepresentations on your application. I mean, anyone can contract HIV or cancer, etc and die from it. However, I've seen claims refused for people that died of cancer after saying that they've not used tobacco. Then they find nicotine in their bloodstream and bam...denied. One thing I hate about insurance is that the companies don't want to pay you or your family...it's the job of the adjusters to find reasons to keep from paying you the benefit. Regardless of the type of insurance.

I only offer this info as a cautionary note. I personally have quite a bit of term life insurance, and I pay the increased rate that tobacco users pay. That way that's one less thing these assholes can use against me to bilk my family out of the death benefit when I do kick off ;-)

[snusjus]

If true, it's another arrow in my quiver on why I think insurance, in all forms, is such a scam.

100% agreed.

[rickcharles606]

100% agreed.

It's one of the greatest scams ever....but it's one of those things that could pay off huge for your family. Sadly they play to people's fears when selling insurance, they call it "fear of loss". If people could be fiscally responsible and save their expendable cash, invest it wisely...there would be less need for insurance.

[rickcharles606]

NOW...all that being said. If someone were to say on their application that they were using NRT products, that could account for the nicotine in their system in the even that something catastrophic were to happen. You didn't hear that shit from me...LMAO. Companies are having a hard time with this one, and are forced to pay the claims regardless of cause of death.

[Wailer]

You don't need to abstain for more than a week.* Blood/urine tests check for main metabolite of nicotine, which is cotinine and that has a half-life of 20 hours.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotinine

*It could also be more because there is more nicotine in snus, but I don't think it is more than 2 weeks.

[sgreger1]

1) Roo, don't post things like this onto the internet. Delete it once you have your answers.
2. If you lie they won't be able to really find out unless your smoking. There are lots of excuses you could use for nicotene in your system but none for the signs of smoking (carbon monoxide in your blood etc)

My insurance company checks tobacco usage by giving a carbon monoxide test of your blood. They then rate how bad of a tobacco user you are, but I score 0% (no tobacco use) because I don't smoke. They don't even attempt to try to stop other forms of nicotene. I would say you are not a tobacco user.