Schwitzer health news blog

Newspaper columnist whines about tobacco use fee

South Florida Sun-Sentinel columnist Michael Mayo blogs:

"So much for the old stereotype of a fedora-wearing reporter pounding out copy on deadline, cigarette dangling from his mouth. Or the days of sportswriter Oscar Madison chomping on his cheap stogie.

Starting next year, employees of my company will have to pay a $100 per month fee (that’s $1,200 per year) if they smoke. Or if anyone in their family who gets health insurance from the company smokes.

Have any of you all gotten a similar notice from your company’s health plan?

I don’t smoke, and neither does my wife or 22-month-old daughter, but I was completely shocked when I got the letter yesterday from Tribune Company (corporate parent of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel) outlining the changes to our 2008 health plans:

“Tobacco use fee – Tribune employees who use tobacco products (or
have covered dependents who do so), will pay a $100 per month fee
(per family) in addition to their medical premium. Smoking cessation
programs will be offered to assist those who use tobacco in leading
a smoke-free lifestyle. The fee will be waived upon completion of
the program.”

Naturally, this makes me wonder what other unhealthy sins will be surcharged in coming years.

Will there be fees for alcohol use? Eating fast food? Having high cholesterol? Not adhering to proper weight/body mass guidelines?

The other thing that gets me is that there’s no reward for not being a smoker. If the company imposed a surcharge on smokers and then gave a proportionate break to all the non-smokers I could maybe be a little more positive about the whole thing.

Instead, everyone’s premiums, deductibles, co-pays and out-of-pocket maximums are going up next year. In my case, my annual out-of-pocket maximum for each family member is going from $1,250 per person to $2,000 per person. And that’s not even including prescription drugs. And that’s in addition to my $4,000 share of the annual premium that I’m paying.

Yikes. I’ve seen the future, and it’s damn expensive."