Personal Wellness: Ways to Lower Your Health Insurance Premiums through Better Health (Part I)

It is no secret that health insurance premiums are on the rise. There have been many changes in the health care regulations in recent years, and though many of these changes are positive, they have led to increases in the cost of having health insurance. This means families must take better care of themselves to help offset the rising costs.

When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010, it promised to make health care accessible to millions of Americans that were without insurance. In addition, one of the ways they sought to accomplish this was to make some changes to health policy requirements. Two of the major changes were:

1. Health policies must now cover pre-existing conditions.
2. Children are now allowed to stay on their parents’ policies until the age of 26.

These and other requirements have prompted insurers to raise the price of their policies, which affects virtually everyone who has health insurance.

In order to alleviate the burden of higher insurance premiums, many employers are now offering incentives to stay healthy and lower monthly premiums at the same time.

Here are some ways that families can save money on their health insurance through better personal wellness:

Eliminate Tobacco Use: Most health policies include a surcharge for tobacco users. Generally, if you have used tobacco (smoking cigarettes, chewing snuff, cigars, etc.) in the past 12 months, your premiums may be as much as 50% higher than they need to be. If you are looking for a good reason to quit using tobacco, saving hundreds per year on your health insurance may be one of the most compelling.

Of course, we all know that quitting an addicting habit is easier said than done. This is why many employers are now offering programs to help with this. Take advantage of these programs if they are available to you at work. Otherwise, there are other programs available for a relatively small fee to accomplish this. Bottom line: you know you should quit, and now you have a better reason to do so.