Here's a good reason to get going on those New Year's resolutions: Both losing weight and quitting smoking will have a nice effect on your health insurance premium.
It's no surprise bad habits hurt your wallet as well as your health, but an ehealth report finds just how much more smokers and overweight people pay for their health care.
According to the data, policyholders in the 'obese' BMI category pay an average monthly premium 22 percent higher than those in the 'normal' BMI category ($169 compared to $207). It's even higher for obese men, who pay 29 percent higher than men of a normal weight.
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Smokers pay an average monthly premium of $213, 14 percent higher than the average monthly premium paid by non-smokers ($187). And the average monthly premium paid by women smokers ($247) is 22 percent higher than the average premium paid by non-smoking women ($203).
"This is valuable data for consumers and advocacy groups working on important health issues related to smoking and overall fitness," says eHealth CEO Gary Lauer. It's the second year in a row ehealth been able to put a dollar figure on what smoking and an unhealthy BMI may cost Americans in terms of higher premiums, he says.
The information was an addendum to a November report. Comparisons of average premium costs relative to an applicant's BMI are derived from a sample of more than 224,000 individual major medical policies purchased through eHealthInsurance with coverage in effect as of February 2012. More than 275,000 individual major medical policies were compared for smokers and non-smokers.
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