What is a Smoker?

Go Green

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Who is considered a smoker? When I have to ask the question "Do you smoke or have you used tobacco in the past 12 months", Besides the obvious, what about the" I only smoke when I am at the bar guy", or the" I might have a cigar on the golf course guy", or "I chew tobacco in my softball league guy", but they do not consider themselves smokers. On the apps and quotes is it smoker rates regardless?
 
Who is considered a smoker? When I have to ask the question "Do you smoke or have you used tobacco in the past 12 months", Besides the obvious, what about the" I only smoke when I am at the bar guy", or the" I might have a cigar on the golf course guy", or "I chew tobacco in my softball league guy", but they do not consider themselves smokers. On the apps and quotes is it smoker rates regardless?

Many companies go back further than 12 months on tobacco use... some as long as 5 yrs; (AIG Preferred Plus requires 5 yrs no-smoke). With those tobacco use say 2 yrs ago will have a higher rating (premium) as a non-smoker than one who never smoked or hasn't smoked in 3 or 5 yrs...

Prudential does allow the cigar or pipe smoker to be considered a non-smoker... not sure off the top of my head about the chew... (I can't imagne the use of that stuff anyway; yuck).

Some of the high-flyers like AIG will allow up to 4 cigars per month, actually not more than 1 per week, and still consider the PI a Non-smoker.

The problem with the occassional smoker that you mention is that nicotene will likely show up in the urinalysis, and bingo, they are considered smoker class for most insurers. Hard to fool big brother, as they say.
 
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