Belman Insurance Advisor Takes an Overview of Smoking and the New Healthcare Act and Offers Five Tips to Help Clients Quit Smoking
Washington, DC (PRWEB) July 10, 2013 -- As the Courier Journal reports, smokers may have received a penalty reprieve under Obama’s new healthcare law. Smoking is unhealthy and the new laws incorporate premium penalties reflecting the negative effects of smoking. Under the new law, insurance carriers could charge a 50% penalty to the premiums of older smokers. The obstacle is that there is a provision in the law that states that insurers cannot charge older customers more than three times what they are charging the youngest adults in the insurance pool. It’s causing a glitch in the government’s computer systems and it could take at least a year to correct. These glitches and delays will not affect other types of insurance, like term life insurance for seniors or auto insurance, but hopefully, smokers will use this extra time to quit smoking. BelmanInsuranceAdvisor.com presents five tips to offer clients to help them quit smoking right now.
1. Use a very strong motivation to quit. Quitting smoking is very difficult but can be done with the right impetus. “It’s bad” is not strong enough. Dig down and figure it out. It’ll help when the urge to smoke hits.
2. Use every tool available. Don’t try to quit cold turkey – it almost never works. Use a nicotine replacement patch or, if cutting out nicotine all together, use a prescription that will help reduce cravings. Another option is to use support groups and/or behavior therapy.
3. Don’t quit quietly. Tell people, like friends and co-workers. The support they’ll offer will be invaluable. The senior writer for Belman Insurance Advisor was quoted as saying “When I was quitting smoking, I found the support from my family was an imperative tool in quitting. They offered distraction techniques when I felt cravings coming on, and were there emotionally when I thought I couldn’t continue being cigarette free. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
4. Recreate space and self. Empty the home of all smoking related items. Give it a good cleaning to eliminate the smell of smoke. Make it a non-smoker’s home. Then, get moving. Exercise will help reduce stress, create new non-smoking patterns, and help with weight gain.
5. Make good food choices. Almost everyone gains weight when trying to quit smoking. Be aware of what’s in the pantry and fridge and try to make healthier choices. Carrot sticks, green peppers, and celery are better oral substitutes than lollypops and licorice.
Another motivator may be money. Quitting smoking is a sound financial decision as cigarettes costs can range from $6/per pack up to $11/per pack depending on location. It won’t be easy but it will be worth it.
Belman Insurance Advisor looks at the “smoking glitch” in the new healthcare plan and offers five ways to quit smoking right now.
About BIA:
BelmanInsuranceAdvisor.com is dedicated to the health, wellbeing, and profit margin of the insurance industry.
Belman Insurance Advisor, BelmanInsuranceAdvisor.com, (708) 320-8567, [email protected]
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