Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Indiana rank tops among states with highest rate of vapers, according to QuoteWizard.
The study showed that 3.6 million middle school and high school students reported e-cigarette use. Vapers could face a 50 percent increase in health insurance rates if e-cigarette users are classified as tobacco users. When someone applies for health insurance, there is always a question about tobacco use. Insurance companies use the status as a tobacco user as one of the primary determining factors to set the cost of a health insurance premium.
Cigarette smoker can say yes and pay a higher premium or say no and potentially commit fraud. While the FDA does classify the e-cigarette as a tobacco product, it still tends to be a gray area for most insurance companies. Since e-cigarettes’ recent introduction into the marketplace, there’s been much debate over the health effects.
Are e-cigarettes a nicotine alternative and cessation product to help smokers quit, or do they pose the same health risks as traditional cigarettes? As insurance companies learn more from e-cigarette research, health insurance premiums will be significantly impacted, for the better or worse.
QuoteWizard analyzed 2017 data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System of e-cigarette users in all 50 states. States with the highest crude prevalence are considered to have the highest rate of e-cigarette users and are therefore most likely to be affected by e-cigarettes in terms of their health insurance premiums.
- Oklahoma
- Kentucky
- Indiana
- Tennessee
- Wyoming
- Arkansas, West Virginia
- Nevada
- Arizona, Colorado
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- Vermont
- California