February 2008
| 7 |
Cost: $4,600 to $42,000
We asked Accuquote.com, an Internet life-insurance broker, to find the best rate on a $1 million, 20-year, guaranteed-level term premium policy for a 40-year-old, 5' 10" male who maintains a healthy lifestyle. Then we asked for the best premiums for the same person if he had one of several risk factors often associated with poor health habits. We then calculated how much more that added to premiums over the 20 years. We found that dropping 20 pounds (to 185 pounds) or reducing borderline high blood pressure to less than 140/85 with medication saved $4,600, using medication to cut cholesterol by 80 points to less than 220 and the total cholesterol to HDL ratio by 3 points to less than 5.0 saved $17,800, and quitting smoking for three or more years saved $42,000.
What you can do. Before you apply for life insurance, consult a doctor about the best ways to get your stats in line with the "preferred plus" underwriting requirements. Insurers are OK with you taking medications to achieve normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
