all nicotine products for 12 months.
In addition, one in five life insurers will ask customers to undergo
a medical screening test for the biomarker cotinine which is a
traditional test for exposure to tobacco smoke. However, as
e-cigarette and nicotine patch users also test positive for cotinine
it does not differentiate between smokers and vapers.
Another potential downside for vapers is that some cheaper
e-liquids do not use purified nicotine in their manufacturing
process and this will see users give positive results in tests.
Research published by the Institute of Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA)
published in The Actuary in October examined the use and risks
associated with e-cigarettes and concluded: “[Most insurers
treated] e-cigarette users as if they were traditional tobacco
smokers.
“Few placed them […] as non-smokers, or somewhere in
between, either adding a rating to non-smoker rates or basing
their approach on whether the applicants used nicotine, rather
than addressing the form of delivery.
“The misconception that nicotine drives smoking-related ill-
health must be addressed if e-cigarettes are ever to become a
widespread cessation tool.”
Vaper life expectancy is lower than that of never-smokers due
to the high mortality rate associated with past tobacco-use.
However, the current black-and-white approach is not reflective
of the true risk vapers are likely to pose life insurers.
The authors said: “Mortality and morbidity rates are likely
to reduce for smokers who use e-cigarettes to cut down or
completely stop using traditional cigarettes.
“Early evidence suggests that e-cigarettes are also more effective
than conventional nicotine replacement therapies, which could
lead to an increase in quit rates and lower claims on existing
smoker business.”
“MOST INSURERS TREATED
E-CIGARETTE USERS AS
IF THEY WERE TOBACCO
SMOKERS.”
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