It’s a well-known fact that smoking causes an adverse effect on your health. You must have seen the warning message on all cigarette boxes – ‘Smoking is injurious to health’. Smoking tobacco is a root cause of 30% of all cancer deaths and causes 16 times higher risk of heart attack.There are almost 120 million smokers in India. As per World Health Organization, India accommodates around 12% of the world’s smoking population. The number of men smoking tobacco has increased from 78 million in year 1998 to 108 million in the year 2015. Tobacco consumption is accountable for the death of 6 million people each year. Direct tobacco consumption accounts for over 5 million deaths and 0.6 million deaths are due to exposure to second-hand smoke. Considering serious public health risks, the Government has banned smoking in public places from 2nd October, 2008.Not only your health, it also causes you to pay higher premiums for a health insurance policy, due to increased health risks and shorter life expectancy. A nonsmoker however, gets premium discounts as a reward to lead a healthy lifestyle. Being a smoker, it is advisable not to hide your smoking habit from your health insurance company, as it helps you to cover the smoking-related health issues.There is a wide curiosity among people, how smoking impacts the health insurance and its cost. Let’s educate yourself about smoking and its impact on health insurance policy.Smoking – What It IncludesSmoking includes inhalation of of the smoke of burning tobacco in the form of cigarettes, cigars and beedi. Whether you are an occasional smoker or frequent smoker, you will be considered as a smoker under the health insurance policy.Smokers can buy health insurance, however an insurance company may charge extra premium or reject your application for insurance, depending on the number of cigarettes you smoke on a regular basis. A smoker may also have to go through additional health check-ups that can help an insurance company to ascertain the risk factor and then charge the premium amount accordingly.How Smoking Affects Your Health and Insurance PremiumSmoking makes the serious impact on your health, some of them are detailed below.Circulatory System: Smoking results in increased risk in the heartache and blood pressure. Building up of fatty acids could resulting to atherosclerosis.Immune System: Smoking results in severe and long lasting illnesses. Smokers are more prone to develop ulcers, cancer, pneumonia, high blood pressure, bronchitis, and other viral/bacterial/fungal infections.Respiratory System: Smoking may damage lung functions and breathlessness. It may cause damage to the air sacs of the lungs, increased chance of developing chronic bronchitis.Oral Health: Smoking can lead to tooth loss, tooth staining, gum disease which may increase the risk of tooth decay.Cancer: Smoking for a long time also causes cancer to various body organs.When it comes to a health insurance policy, an insurance company considers the magnitude of illnesses and deaths caused due to smoking and that’s why, smokers need to pay higher premiums to avail health insurance cover. Typically, the insurance companies charge around 15 to 20 percent higher from a smoker policyholder. Those who smoke would need to undergo additional medical checks, before the insurer issues you the policy.Let’s understand the difference of premium between a smoker and non-smoker individual.Ritesh (non-smoker) at 30 years of age buys an individual health plan with Rs 5 Lacs coverage, for 1 year policy term, the chargeable annual premium amount is Rs 4,656. However, Raj (smoker) is buying an individual health plan, he is charged with an annual premium amount of Rs 7,552. An increase in premium amount is only due to the fact that Ansh lies in the smoker category of premium. We can see Raj is paying Rs 2896 extra on account of smoking.Smoker with Existing Health ProblemsIf you are a frequent smoker that has caused the symptoms of the declining health condition and getting puzzled whether you can get a health insurance. The answer is yes, the only thing required is to make honest and proper disclosures.The insurance company will then assess the risk associated with your profile and then decide on terms & conditions and the premium to be charged for providing you a health cover. The premiums charged will be higher and a waiting period will be applied for covering your pre-existing diseases. Moreover, if you are seeking an immediate coverage on your deteriorating health condition, you may go for a critical illness policy.Conclusion:Smoking makes an adverse impact on your health and your health insurance policy as well. An insurance company will charge you a higher premium in proportion to the risk associated in providing a health cover. An important point to note that you should disclose all relevant information regarding your health and smoking habits. In case, you are found hiding or providing fake information, the insurance company may decline in settling the claims.

Your home is an important aspect of family safety and comfort as well as your personal/family finances. If anything you own deserves protection with insurance, it is your home. With that being said, the search for the best Alabama homeowners insurance begins. To find the best coverage, you need to know what you are up against. That is, what risk factors are important, the average cost you can expect, where to get information, how to shop and what companies provide Alabama homeowners insurance. With this ammunition in hand, you will be ready to gather online rate quotes to compare rates and find the best deal out there for you.Statistics Concerning Alabama Homeowners Insurance There are some statistics concerning the geography of Alabama that affect severely the cost of insuring your home. To begin with, the average sea level for the entire state of Alabama is only 8 feet. This means that most of the state is very susceptible to flooding. Alabama also ranks 13thin tornado frequency. The northern area of the state experiences a higher than average amount of earthquakes, which means earthquake coverage for your home should be considered if you live in this region. Possibly the biggest issue, especially for those in the southern part of the state, are the hurricanes coming from the Gulf of Mexico. Areas that are, year in and year out, in the path of hurricanes are great risks for homeowners insurance companies, and that is certainly the case with Alabama.The Cost of Alabama Homeowners Insurance Alabama homeowners insurance is significantly more expensive than the national average. The yearly average cost of home insurance in Alabama in 2010 was $797.00. That is $127 more than the national average and makes Alabama the 9thmost costly state in the nation to insure a home. This is due mostly to the fact that Alabama homes and residents have to battle severe hurricane seasons and prevalent flooding. To offset this higher cost, you can take the initiative to lower your rates a bit. First, secure your home with storm shutters, deadbolt locks, a security system and motion sensing outside lights. Second, shop around to compare rates before making your purchase.Alabama Homeowners Insurance CompaniesWhen shopping for Alabama homeowners insurance you will notice there are numerous companies offering insurance for your home. In your local area, you will most likely find local insurance agents representing major insurance providers, but you will also find a few local or regional providers. Visiting the websites of these companies or making a phone call to learn more about each company is a good way to begin your search for quality coverage.Here are a few Alabama homeowners insurance companies to consider as you begin your search.AllState
Colonial Company
GEICO
Gene Jones Insurance
Jimmy Stewart CPCU
NationwideDon’t relegate yourself to just these companies, as there are quite a few more available to Alabama residents. As you shop, you will undoubtedly come across more insurers and it would be a smart move to use them in your comparisons as well. In many cases, when you get your rate quotes from an online affiliate site, one or more of the quotes may come from a company you have never heard of. When that happens, certainly take a little more time to find out about that provider.AlabamaHomeowners Insurance ResourcesOnline resources are great to help you when shopping for homeowners insurance and later on when specific issues/problems arise. If you have any issues with your insurance provider, you have recourse in a couple of areas. The local branch of the Alabama Better Business Bureau can be of help, as well as a resource when shopping for the right company. You can also report your complaint to the Alabama Department of Insurance if you want serious action taken. It can also be a great resource for advice, tips and information on changing insurance regulations regarding Alabama homeowners insurance.

The homeowner insurance policy is definitely an extended and quite complicated document that will need an elaborate study and thorough understanding. The understanding of the protection your own home Insurance provides as well as exclusions it contains is a part of responsibility you’re taking as a homeowner. Your homeowners insurance policy is carried out to enable you to replace your home as well as its contents should the need occur. It also gives you liability protection just in case someone is hurt on your property and then tries to sue you.A good homeowners policy should grant you secure feeling and security. It is essential to own appropriate homeowner insurance coverage on your own home. You should carry enough insurance coverage to make sure that you can replace your home as well as its contents without too much financial hardship in the event that disaster were to strike. Review it regularly to make sure and be watchful about exclusions and limitations, especially if you reside in areas which are high-risk for certain perils.Homeowner Insurance Quotes You may feel that the best homeowner insurance quote is going to be the cheapest homeowner insurance quote, but that’s not always, if ever, the case. The very best homeowner insurance quote is likely to be the quote provided by the insurance company that thoroughly investigates your own homeowner insurance requirements. Before you shop for the quotes, you may want to do a little research so that you are more equipped to discuss coverage options as well as pricing with insurance agents.For a homeowner, their apartment may very well be the most valuable monetary possession they have; getting a strong insurance policy that will protect you and your home from financial loss is extremely important. The internet has given the average homeowner access to various resources about homeowners insurance that makes obtaining home insurance quotes online very easy.While you make a list of insurance providers you’re interested in see if they have an online form that will enable you to get an instant home owner insurance quote online, make sure that you have all the information necessary to completing online insurance forms on hand and completely ready to go. You can even use your current policy to compare coverage types as well as deductibles against what the quotes have to offer. Prior you hit the submit button check over your information, make sure that there are not any mistakes or typos which could affect you quote. In minutes your instant homeowner insurance quote should pop up with complete coverage information.Online homeowner insurance quotes are available from a various companies, that is affordable and accurate. As you surf for homeowner insurance quotes, make sure that you compare them and choose the very best price that suits your means. However, keep in mind that sometimes the cheapest quote isn’t necessarily the best, which is why you should also compare the policy options of each insurance company.