Vegetarians Given Life Insurance Incentive
Posted in Uncategorized on 12/23/2009 03:31 pm by FriendsOfCSummary
An interesting new insurance plan has been developed by Animal Friends Insurance. The new insurance plan offers lower premiums to vegetarians, based on evidence that they are at a lesser risk than their carnivorous counterparts of developing certain illnesses. It remains to be seen whether other insurance organisations will follow the new policy marketed by Animal Friends Insurance .
A none profit insurance firm has introducd an insurance scheme which offers fish-eaters and vegetarians a reduced cost life cover .
The offer, believed to be the first of its kind, is being introduced by Animal Friends Insurance (AFI). The organisation is offering vegetarians a 7% reduction in priceon life insurance cover premiums
The organisation claimed that vegetarians ought to pay less for the product, which pays out if the client dies, because they were less likely to suffer from a list of chronic illnesses, including cancers.
Rebecca Puttey, A senior director at Animal Friends Insurance, claims that the danger of veggies being diagnosed with certain cancers is reduced by up to 40% and the danger of them suffering from heart disease is reduced by up to thirty two per cent, but despite this they have, until now, had to pay broadly the same life insurance premiums as people who eat meat.
She says that AFI believe this is unfair and says the insurers should recognise the concept that being a veggie can impose have a positive influence on life expectancy and lower its charges accordingly.
A standard plan is also on the market for meat eaters. Both insurance plans are sold by LV=, which was previously known as Liverpool Victoria.
In common with standard life plans, a range of aspect contribute to the cost of the policies including whether the applicant smokes, their age, weight and sex.
Currently, AFI is carrying the 6 per cent cheaper premium itself from the cash it receives from LV=. In the future, however, the business’s objective was to offer lower premiums on specialist plans. In offering the price reduction the company is hoping to sign up enough vegetarians to make it economically viable for LV= to underwrite yet another insurance policy that takes the vegetarian’s diet into account.
Indeed there are big savings to be had, a thirty eight year oldnon-smoker purchasing £300,000 worth of cover might potentially save £393.60 over a 20-year period.
Where life insurance deals is concerned, AFI thinks that life insurers should try to treat those that eat meat and people that don’t eat meat in a way that is similar to the way they assess non-smokers and smokers. Perhaps others in the insurance industry will take the same initiative.
Some peoplein the insurance industry are doubtful whether there is robust proof that vegetarians live longer, and how any life insuranec company would know that those who had stated that they are veggies did not munch on an occasional bacon sandwich.
When it comes to smoking, the insurance company can refer to your Doctor’s records – if you now don’t smoke it’s certainly likely that your GP is likely to know about it. However, this is unlikely to apply when it comes to eating meat, an said a spokesperson from the insurance industry.
But some veggies contend that they are not worried about people falling off the veggie ways and suggested that once a veggie has become a vegetarian, they do not return to meat-eating, unlike people who smoke who tend to drift in and out of their habit.