A SLOW BURN As insurance costs rise, employers target lifestyle choices of workers
By ELLEN BILTZ
Date published: 6/25/2006
mokers across the country are starting to face fees other than just the cost of a pack of cigarettes.
In some workplaces, smokers are paying higher rates than nonsmokers for the health insurance provided by their employers. The trend has been ignited by concerns over the cost of treating smoking-related illnesses.
The Free Lance-Star may be the only large, local company that has linked smoking to the cost of its employees' health insurance.
Employees who smoke pay an extra $10 per two-week pay period for health insurance. The fee, which applies to all employees who receive benefits, is waived for nonsmokers.
"Basically, we were trying to reward the employees who did not smoke," said Kaye Burnett, benefits coordinator.
Other large, local companies contacted don't differentiate between smokers and nonsmokers when it comes to the cost of health insurance.
"We don't even ask if our employees smoke, so there's no difference when it comes to insurance," said Bob Jensen, director of human resources at MediCorp, the corporation that owns Mary Washington Hospital. Jensen said he doesn't think it's fair to ask personal questions of employees.
The University of Mary Washington is another major employer in the Fredericksburg area. Sherry Morgan, assistant director of human resources and benefits administration, said university employees get state benefits. The state does not levy additional fees for smokers.
GEICO and McLane Food Distribution, two other large employers in the area, don't differentiate between nonsmokers and smokers for their health insurance policies.
Gannett Co., a national media organization, began a policy similar to The Free Lance-Star's this year, said Tara Connell, vice president for corporate communications at Gannett.
Connell said it's not an extra charge for smokers, but instead, a discount for those who don't smoke.
"There are different programs and policies based on a lot of different things that could make employee health insurance costs very different," she said. "But if they are a nonsmoker, they get $50 off" each pay period.
Spokespeople for The Free Lance-Star and Gannett said insurance costs are the main reason their companies started charging more for smokers.
"We're getting group rates, but when you start looking at claims, the people who are smokers have higher claims," The Free Lance-Star's Burnett said.
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Date published: 6/25/2006
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