Health Risks and Insurance Costs of Vaping: Is It Really “Cool to Vape”?
For decades, smoking has been advertised as cool, sexy, and trendy. With the invention of the e-cigarette, tobacco companies did not stray from their tried and true marketing strategy. Plus, they are also working hard to appeal to the spirit of the millennial generation. They use slogans like “Take Back Your Freedom”, “Rewrite the Rules”, and “Experience the Breakthrough”. They also use catchy sayings such as “Love Your Lungs”, marketing e-cigarettes as healthy. But is it really “cool to vape”? Not unless health risks and higher insurance costs are “cool”. Let’s examine the many costs of vaping.
Insurance Costs of Vaping
Insurance companies definitely don’t see vaping as cool. All tobacco product use is the same as far as they are concerned. For more information, you can check out our other article about how vaping affects your health and insurance costs. This article will discuss the dangers specifically for youth. If you are a young person or the parents of a youth, this information is critical to making good decisions. You can stop a harmful habit before it becomes too late. You can still avoid the health risks and the dramatically increased insurance costs.
Vaping and the Youth
Sadly, young people are the ones who are mainly subjected to the targeted advertisements. It is estimated that roughly 1 in 20 Americans now vapes on a daily basis. According to an article from Reuters, about half of the users are under 35. Based on information from the U.S. Surgeon General’s office, in 2018, “1 in 5 high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past month.” Since 2017, the percentage of youths who are vaping has increased drastically. Young people are picking up this habit without considering the many costs of vaping.
Costs of Vaping for Youth
So, why is this such a concern? Young people who use tobacco face even more risks than full-grown adults. First of all, they become addicted earlier in life, which means that they will use tobacco products for longer. In addition, they have prolonged exposure to the aerosols inhaled while vaping. Most importantly, the nicotine in e-cigarettes affects the development of their brain. Many of us do not realize that the human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25. Nicotine use can have adverse effects during these critical years. This is one of the most significant costs of vaping on health.
Vaping and Higher Health Insurance Costs
Given that e-cigarettes are rather new on the scene, we still don’t know what all the long-term effects might be. We do know the dangers of nicotine and many of the chemicals in these e-cigarettes. This is enough for insurance companies to charge more from anyone who uses tobacco products. So, using a vape pen means you will pay more for health insurance. It also means that you will likely pay for more for your healthcare over your lifetime. You also risk numerous medical conditions that will shorten your life. That’s really not so “cool” when you think about it.