Breaking the Habit, can it stop us from Breaking the Bank?

[AB Editor]

It's now over a year since the smoking ban was enforced across England and Wales. The government's strong-arm approach has proved very successful in getting people to give up on their habit, at least in public.

According to recent research, 1.64 million people stubbed out their final cigarette since July last year, around 14 per cent of the country's smoking population, with Londoners being particularly "good." However, while the health benefits of quitting have been widely acknowledged, the financial costs have been relatively overlooked, especially when it comes to the implications the habit has on a person's insurance policy.

Not only will millions of Brits be better able to exercise, but insurers reveal they could be saving themselves a tidy sum each month. In an effort to boost the nation's health and undoubtedly their own customer numbers, many insurers reported that the costs of their monthly life insurance premiums are effectively cut in half after a year when someone stops smoking.

This could allow the average adult in good shape to cover themselves against unfortunate medical events for less than the cost of a packet of cigarettes each month.

With cuts in insurance costs like these, it is likely that the number of new non-smokers taking out health insurance policies over the coming months is likely to soar.

Insurers are getting cautious though, as this recent change has resulted in some smokers trying their luck. Insurers have had to put new measures in place to weed out those trying to make savings without making the effort to give up.

Whilst we are sure all AnswerBank users are scrupulously honest; have you or someone you know had issues over insurance and smoking?

Also, more generally, what is your experience of dealing with life and health insurance companies?