Insurance Premiums

[Newquagmire]

Ok, so maybe this is a stupid question. Humor me.

Health insurance companies ask about family histories and smoking and such. Do they charge higher premiums based on this information?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Street Philosopher]

not sure but i'd guess that it would also affect whether they would even offer insurance to you at all.

 

[Heal&Teach]

This is not a stupid question at all...

Many insurance companies will try to screw you in any way possible to make a buck. As a younger person, you'll get cheaper premiums that will increase with age. If they find that you have habits that will contribute to the onset of preventable conditions (e.g. smoking), you are overweight (based on BMI-height-weight factor), or have any other risk factors, you will either be denied of coverage or, if you're lucky, get coverage at a higher premium.

Just shop around, but if you have some sort of medical condition or risk behaviors that are perceived as negative, you might get the short end of the stick.

Hope this helps.

 

[Newquagmire]

Thx for the replies. I'm prepping for interviews, and stumbled across some questions about insurance premiums that I thought I'd like to know about =)