As you have surely noticed, health insurance premiums have risen dramatically in the last several years, far outpacing the rate of inflation and wage increases.  For this reason, now is a particularly good time to be getting competitive quotes on health insurance, and even rethinking what it is you want your plan to provide.
 
It’s also a good time to consider how your lifestyle and its downstream consequences may be affecting your rates.  If you’ve been thinking about making some lifestyle changes for awhile now and have put them off for one reason or another, these rate increases might well be seen as a good thing….
 
Let’s look at the major lifestyle-related health factors that can significantly affect the amount you pay for health insurance.  By addressing even one of them prior to obtaining your next health insurance policy, you’ll find yourself paying less, improving your health and just plain feeling better in the bargain.
 
Quit Smoking.
Despite the well-known fact that smoking causes many diseases, over 40 million Americans still smoke.  In fact, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.  Health insurance companies understand the added risk of insuring smokers and will increase premiums accordingly.  When buying insurance on your own, you could even get rejected if you're a smoker.  And don't imagine you're automatically covered by employer-sponsored insurance either. Employers across the country are trying to reduce their health insurance costs by encouraging --or even requiring-- employees to quit smoking.  If you smoke, quitting is often the single most important way to reduce your chance of illness. Through their website, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) can provide you with helpful resources. Click here to learn more about how to quit.
 
Lose Weight. 
Research shows that America's growing weight problem is a direct factor in the rise of diseases such as diabetes. After smoking, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Sadly, increasing numbers of young people are considered obese, putting them at higher risk for diseases such as diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is often caused by poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle and is fast becoming an epidemic, especially among the young. In addition to diabetes, conditions related to being overweight and obese include: cardiovascular disease, various forms of cancer, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis. These conditions oftentimes lead to premature death. According to the CDC, obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Your BMI is expressed as a ratio of height to weight. The CDC website provides a BMI Calculator so you can see if you are a healthy weight for your height.
 
Limit Alcohol.
Moderate consumption of alcohol is usually not a health problem for adults but if you drink more than two drinks a day for men, or one drink a day for women, you're putting yourself at risk. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), one in thirteen adults, or about fourteen million Americans, abuse alcohol or are alcoholics. Drinking heavily increases your risk of various types of cancer, including liver, esophagus, throat, and larynx. It can also cause liver cirrhosis, immune system problems and brain damage. In addition, drinking increases the risk of death from injuries caused by automobile crashes and other activities. Furthermore, both homicides and suicides are more likely to be committed by persons who have been drinking. In purely economic terms, alcohol-related problems cost the American economy approximately $185 billion per year. For more information on alcoholism and alcohol abuse, visit the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website here.
 
When you consider the rewards of living a longer, healthier and more active life that comes from quitting smoking, losing weight and limiting the consumption of alcohol, saving money on your health insurance may not seem like a big incentive.  But it may be that last incentive that finally gets you moving. To find out more about affordable health insurance plans available in your area, or to find out how much you might save by quitting smoking, losing weight or limiting the consumption of alcohol, let InsureMeOnline.com get you a set of free online quotes.