How insurers can profit while helping people to quit smoking

The fact that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the world is widely recognised. Yet, there are still over one billion smokers worldwide and eight million smoking-related deaths per year. Life and health insurers are aware of the detrimental mortality and morbidity consequences of smoking. Understandably, then, smoking status is one of the most important rating factors in pricing insurance. Historically, however, smoking status has been determined only once at policy issue, with no differentiation amongst different tobacco users or an easily validated incentive to qu...