“Let’s face it, we should be doing all these things anyway.  So, get off your butt and start living a healthier life, your body, mind, friends, family, and your insurance companies will all thank you for it.”

Do you ever wonder why your dental insurance gives you a couple free checkups a year….or why we only have to pay a small deductible to a doctor’s office when we go in for a simple checkup?  That’s easy, it’s much cheaper for our insurance companies in the long run.  Dental, medical, and life insurance companies want us as healthy possible.  Why you ask.  Well, that’s simple, it’s cheaper for all of them.  When we go in for cleanings for our teeth, the hope is we stop any early problems before they develop into bigger problems down the line.  The same goes for going to the doctor, if we can catch our problems early, they are easier and less costly to fix down the road.  Insurance is the transfer of risk.  We are certainly more of a risk if we are not healthy.  The bigger a risk you are, the more you will have to pay an insurance company to take on that risk.

Life Insurance companies do not want you to die.  If you die, they end up paying out lots money to whomever you chose to be your beneficiary.  Paying out your face amount in full is the worst case for an insurance company.  So, they are going to offer incentives that keep you healthier and on a road to a long life.  Here are just a few things you can do (and maybe are already doing) to not only live a more healthy life but pay less toward your life insurance policy.  

Certain life insurance companies offer a “vitality program” for their customers.  With these types of programs, you earn points for doing healthy activities.  As you build points, you earn different levels of savings on your premiums.  Each insurance company is different, but they all share similar methods.  Some of them even give you a free Fitbit so you can track your progress.  Here are just a few things you can do to save money AND live a healthier lifestyle:

• Get a Gym Membership (AND USE IT)
  • Going to the gym just a couple times a week can help you save
  • Achieve a certain step count each day
  • If you walk around a lot, you should track it.  Certain companies will consider you healthier if you achieve a certain step count each day.  It’s not much either, around 10,000 steps or so.  Trust me, that’s less than it sounds.

• Get annual health screens
  • Insurance companies love when their customers are on top of their own health. Preventative medicine can help you save big time!
• Making Healthy Choices at Grocery Store
  • You can show receipts from the grocery to earn points for healthy foods
• Staying tobacco-free
  • This one is obvious.  When signing up for an insurance plan you are asked this question as well.  Trust me, smoking is a premium killer.  Stay away!

There are other things that you can do, but again it all depends on the insurance company.  We can figure those out together when you call.  Let’s face it, we should be doing all these things anyway.  So, get off your butt and start living a healthier life, your body, mind, friends, family, and your insurance companies will all thank you for it.  You’ll get hugs and kisses from some of them, and money savings from others….the best of both worlds.