Health insurance can be more expensive for people who work in certain fields. Anyone whose job puts them at a higher risk for bodily harm will pay higher premium costs. The health insurance company has to charge more if there is a good chance that an individual will need medical attention while they are covered by the insurance policy. Some vocations include a naturally higher probability for injury or illness than other occupations. High powered business executives may face more stressful situations, but they will still pay less for health insurance than someone like a firefighter or a police officer who is in danger of being harmed directly due to the nature of their employment.

Emergency Services

People who work for emergency services face higher premium costs than anyone else. Police officers and fire fighters are paid to put themselves in physically dangerous situations every day. It is likely that a police officer or fire fighter will need to visit the doctor many times in a single year of insurance coverage. Some emergency service departments provide special health insurance options to try to keep the costs down for their employees. In general, however, these career emergency responders will usually pay substantially more for health insurance costs. The only exception would be a police officer or fire fighter who has been in the service long enough to advance into a position that does not require them to go out into the field any longer.

Medical Professionals

It may seem strange, but doctors and surgeons pay more for their health insurance than almost any other group. The reason is that doctors are the first to come into contact with people who are ill. Most people can avoid someone who is sick, but doctors are paid to talk with sick people and help them get better on a daily basis. This puts doctors at a special risk level for developing illnesses that most of the population never comes into contact with. Doctors also tend to keep longer hours and deal with high stress emergency situations that can weaken their immune systems and make them more susceptible to illness.

Career Athletes

Anyone who works as a career athlete pushes his or her body to its limits on a daily basis. After several years of strenuous physical activity, an athlete's body can begin to break down. Athletes who compete for a living tend to be injured regularly. Insurance companies have to charge more for health insurance because of the high rate of doctor visits that athletes require in order to stay physically fit. Athletes are also required to take regular fitness tests to prove that they are in proper condition to continue competing.