If I start smoking, can I still make a claim on my critical illness insurance?

The rating provided to smokers is usually based on your situation and lifestyle at the time you applied for the critical illness insurance policy. When the insurance policy evaluates your application, they will check whether you have been smoking within the last 12 months. If you were a smoker and stopped by more than a year already, you may not be rated for as a smoker.

During your application, it is important to make full disclosure. Otherwise, the insurance company may opt to cancel your policy for the false statements that you make. But once the policy has been issued, getting into the smoking habit will usually not affect your policy and your claims.

However, there may be things you have to consider. For one, there is a waiting period (usually of two years) where claims can still be disputed. And if you need to make a claim within that waiting period, this issue of smoking after the policy has been issued may come up. The insurance company may even use this as a reason for denying your claim!

Also, the terms and conditions of some critical illness insurance policy may add smoking as an exclusion. Though this is not the case at all times, there are policies that may exclude cancers caused by smoking.

If this is not the case, then there shouldn’t be any problem with a claim on your critical illness policy due to your newly-discovered smoking habit. But since you bought a critical illness insurance policy, you are concerned with the possible financial fallout of a critical illness. If this is so, why put yourself in more risk of getting a critical illness?

The Negative Effects of Smoking on the Body

Smoking is actually not just linked to lung cancer, but to other cancers as well. This includes cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, mouth, tongue, lips, nasal sinus, liver, kidney, pancreas, bladder and stomach. Also, smoking is believed to cause heart disease and also diminishes the circulation of the blood throughout the body.

Critical illness insurance is put in place to prepare you for life’s unwanted events (such as getting critically ill). However, the best way to go about life is still to live healthy. You can still get your premiums (and then some), if you were not able to claim against your policy, if you had a return of premium rider in your policy. So, you can still benefit from your policy even if you don’t have a claim.

Cover Details
Type of Insurance
Type of cover
Over what period?
Amount of cover
Type of premium
Personal Details
Title
First Name
Last Name
Date of birth
Do you smoke?	No Yes
Email address
Home phone
Work phone
Mobile Phone
Is this a joint application?	No Yes
App. 2: Title
App. 2: First Name
App. 2: Last Name
App. 2: Date of birth
App. 2: Do you smoke?	No Yes
House Number
House/Flat name
Street
Area
Town
County
Postcode