Everyone knows the term “high-risk” when it comes to health insurance. If you are considered to be in a high-risk category, your ability to get a quality health insurance plan can be limited. You also might be subject to particularly high premiums once you do get a plan.
What exactly are the factors involved in being put into this category? And can you deal with them early so that you can avoid this kind of situation? Fortunately, the answer is that you can, but you should start early and take distinct preventative steps.
Factors in being considered “high-risk”
Let’s first take a look at what exactly insurance companies look at in determining whether a given individual is considered high-risk. Some of these factors are out of your control, but many are not:
- Age. This is one thing that you obviously don’t have control over. The older you are, the riskier you are considered to be, and consequently your insurance premiums will go up as you age.
- Medical history. If you have pre-existing conditions, chronic health issues, or have had major problems in the past, this will be considered a mark against you as far as risk is concerned.
- Lifestyle. This is one that you definitely have control over, and you should make concerted efforts to modify if you need to. Drinking, smoking, lack of exercise, and other harmful habits should be addressed in order to keep your premiums low. If you need to quit smoking, for example, try a nicotine home test for home to keep yourself on the ball and help you kick the habit.
- Body mass index. People with a BMI of over 20% are considered obese. This puts them at a much greater risk of developing chronic health issues. You can help keep your BMI low with regular changes to your diet and exercise regime.
- Where you live. Insurance companies also take your geographic location into consideration when considering people for policies and calculating their premiums. Some geographical areas are considered higher risk than others, depending on factors such as poverty levels, crime, and possibly even climate.
- The type of plan that you aim for. If the plan that you choose is considered to be out of alignment with what insurance companies think you should have, they will likely raise premiums in accordance with the difficulties that they see in your personal history. The length of plan that you shoot for also plays a role. In general, the longer a plan you choose, the more beneficial it will be for you.
How to lower your premiums and get a better plan
Given all of this, the next natural question is how to lower your premiums and make sure that you can get a reasonable plan. Fortunately, there are several things that you can do:
- Take out a policy as early as possible. If you already have a solid policy by the time you start to get older and potentially develop health problems, you will already be locked into the policy. Potential problems build up gradually over time, so the earlier you can get your hands on a good policy, the better.
- Modify your habits and make the changes permanent. This might sound trite, but it is true: Making real changes in your personal habits and ensuring that you hold onto them is key in staying healthy and convincing insurance companies that you are a low-risk candidate. Quitting smoking and investing in nicotine test strips to help you can be invaluable.
- Select as long a term policy as you can. As mentioned above, choosing a long-term policy can allow for much lower premiums than short-term ones. Companies prefer to deal with people whose conditions they know and can have a certain degree of control over.
- Talk to a professional about your individual health needs. It can sometimes be difficult to take an objective look at ourselves and evaluate our own personal health conditions. Therefore, it can be beneficial to talk to a health professional about exactly where you stand and what you can do to better your situation. It may be that there are things that are negatively contributing to your health situation, such as stress or lack of sleep – that you are not fully aware of.
Start early and be methodical
The world of insurance policies is complicated and potentially challenging to deal with. But you can secure a good plan for yourself if you go about it in the right way. Be sure to start as early as possible, do solid research on the plans that are available and what they can offer you, and talk to a professional if you need additional insight. Finally, make an effort to eliminate bad habits that can cause your health to deteriorate. These things can multiply over time, and you can end up with serious health problems that will stay with you regardless of the nature of your insurance. If you start early and act preventatively, you will be well on the road to living a long life with reasonable medical coverage.
