It is now the law that everyone in the United States must be covered by health insurance. The Affordable Care Act will help with health insurance costs.
There are some things that are going to affect how much the health insurance premiums are. A person’s lifestyle can affect the amount of money they are required to pay for health insurance.
Smoking
Health insurance can cost 100% more if you are a smoker. Companies see a person that smokes as a high risk. They are at a great risks for cancers especially lung cancer, heart disease, and a number of other illnesses. Even former tobacco users are still at a higher risk for health problems then a person that has never used tobacco. When shopping for health insurance a person that smokes may pay double the cost than a non-smoker.
Body Mass
When a person is looking to purchase health insurance the insurance company will ask certain information. They will want to know how much a person weights and their body mass index. People that have a higher body mass index are usually overweight.
These people will pay a much higher price for health insurance than people that are within a normal body mass range. People that are overweight especially if they are obese are a higher risk to the insurance company. These people have a great chance of developing diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, and joint problems. Treatment for people with a higher body mass is going to cost the insurance company more money so they charge a higher premium.
Gender
Women often pay more for health insurance than men do. There are several reasons as to why insurance companies charge women more money for their health insurance coverage.
Women are more likely to go to the doctor than men for regular care and they are more likely to follow through with the use of their prescription medication. While these are good health practices for the women, the care is going to cost the insurance company more money.
The more a person uses their coverage the more money the insurance company is going to have to put out. Insurance companies are also responsible for maternity coverage. The average cost of delivering a baby is around $13,000. This does not include prenatal or postnatal care for the mother. This is another reason why the insurance companies will charge a woman more money for her health coverage.
Previous Coverage
If a person did not have health coverage for a person or time or it is the first time they are looking to purchase health insurance the premium is going to be higher. If a person has had health insurance for a period of time and are generally healthy they will not have to pay as much.
The insurance companies feel that those that did not have coverage previously are more likely to want to go to a doctor, dentist, and get the care that they have been missing. While this is good for the person this is bad for the insurance company.
This is going to cost them more. If a person has not had regular health check-ups in the past they may have a condition that requires medical attention.
The insurance company takes this information into account when looking to provide coverage to new patients. They will charge a higher rate if they feel the person is going to end up costing them more money.
Family History
When a person is applying for health insurance they will have to answer specific questions about their family history and any health aliments that may run in their bloodline. If the family history shows that members have suffered from certain illness such as cancer a person should be prepared to pay a higher premium.
According to the insurance company this puts a person at a greater risk for develop health aliments then a person that has a clean family history and that is why they are going to pay more for coverage.
These are just some of the factors that will affect health insurance costs. The more of a risk that a person is viewed as by the insurance company the more money they are going to have to pay for coverage.
