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Partners for Life — Insurance Agency & Financial Services
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What Factors Affect Your Life Insurance Premiums and Costs?

Many factors can affect the cost of life insurance premiums. Some may be beyond your control, but other criteria can be managed to potentially reduce the cost before you apply.

  • Age: This is the most important factor because life expectancy is the largest determinant of risk for the insurance company.
  • Gender: Because women statistically live longer, they generally pay lower rates than a man of the same age.
  • Smoking: A person who smokes is at risk of many health problems that could shorten their life and increase risk-based premiums.
  • Health: Medical examinations for most policies include screening for health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, along with related medical measurements that may indicate risk.
  • Lifestyle: Dangerous lifestyles can make premiums much more expensive.
  • Family medical history: If there is evidence of a major illness in your immediate family, your risk of developing certain conditions is much higher.
  • Driving history: A record of traffic violations or driving under the influence can dramatically increase the cost of insurance premiums.

After you are approved for an insurance policy, if your health has improved and you have made positive lifestyle changes, you can ask to be considered for a change in risk class. Even if your health is found to be worse than at the initial underwriting, your premiums will not increase. If you are in better health, you can expect your premiums to decrease.