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I'm annoyed what my company does. Rather than reward the healthy people they give you money if you agree to enter a smoking cessation program (in addition to the free program). What about those of us who don't smoke? Just give me the cash for not doing it.
Your reward is not being chained to a terrible addiction unlike us unlucky ones who decided to give it a try and got absolutely hooked.
$$ if you smoke, your odds of getting sick are higher than theoretically someone who doesn't, so it seems valid. I also don't want to smell a smoker working with me!
Theoretically and real world are two very different things. I've gotten sick once in the past two years. Missed one day of work. Don't know many people who can say that. My non-smoking coworkers? They took off at least once every two weeks because they were lazy sacks of poop. My supervisor didn't smoke and she was sick literally every month. Obesity destroys health far more than the small percentage that smoking actually severely hurts.
It's a smoke free work place, but then again most places are nowadays. Can they disqualify someone for smoking on their own time outside of work? That'd be like disqualifying people for drinking too much soda. Both are bad but completely legal.
My guess would be they want to know if you smoke so they can charge you a higher medical rate when you get health insurance. Some companies use the honor system, where they ask you if you smoke you have to pay a higher rate, but i can't help to wonder how many people lie to get a cheaper rate.
the fact of the matte remains is that smokers cost more to insure and frankly healthcare costs are easily the highest cost of operating a business let alone payroll. Could they do the same with others? Sure they can test for alcohol, drugs, caffeine etc.
I worked in a place where there was technically unofficially a weight restriction. If you were in management it is expected you operate power equipment. The equipment had a weight capacity of 300 lbs. The focus is on safety. If you cannot work safely then you cannot work period. Out of the hundreds that went in and out of employment there in the past 11 or so years now I think only one had an issue with it.
Want to know another group that is a bit hard to insure? Dental care for carnival workers. If you think I'm kidding think about it for a moment. Constantly traveling might not have access to a dentist etc. In Kentucky it is said that 10% of the population has no teeth! How? Well high well water use (no fluoride), lack of dentists, high soda consumption rate, high tobacco use, high alcohol consumption rate, coal emissions etc. Put that situation anywhere else and you'd get the same results.
The nicotine test may be there to "test" your answer whether you smoke or not when setting your Health Insurance rates, where I work a smoker has an automatic 50% increase in premiums(ALL employees are tested once a year as part of the Wellness screening).
I used to smoke, I started late in life, been smoke free for almost five years after smoking for ten, I laugh at the people rushing outside to smoke during breaks and lunch regardless of the weather ... I can laugh because I used to be one of those people.
Well apparently my state protects against discrimination for it, so what is the point? Unless they go the route of "you just weren't the best fit for the company" or "we chose a more highly qualified applicant" when they were secretly discriminating.
You are correct that your state does indeed make it a violation of law for an employer to use your smoking or non-smoking status in employment decision making. You are also correct that any action they take for smoking can only apply to smoking IN THE workplace, not what you do on your own time away from work.
Unfortunately, employers routinely make employment decisions based on a person being a smoker; they just don't tell you that's the reason. Additionally, the state provides no resources to enforce the law; it's all up to you to sue the employer if you can prove they discriminated against you. That's a high bar to jump with almost everyone trying failing due to no proof.
Yes, as PP's have said, it is becoming increasingly common, especially in hospitals. They will disqualify you for use of not just tobacco, but also other nicotine products such as the patch and nicotine gum (which is ironic, because use of those products is often integral to being able to quit tobacco use successfully). Most places have a policy that if you test positive, you can reapply in 90 days or something, of course, by then, most people will have moved on to another job if they can find it.
The health dangers from tobacco are well established and known by all (even users), yes, and the rationale that the employer has to pay more in health costs for smokers make sense. However, the idea that an employer can disqualify you for use of a legal substance on your own time is a bit concerning. Next, they will not hire people with a BMI of "X". What about not hiring someone who drives a motorcycle, or likes to ski or scuba dive etc (all things that are commonly not allowed by certain disability policies). Definitely a slippery slope.
Many employers do not subsidize employee healthcare. How is this issue relevant to such employers?
the fact of the matte remains is that smokers cost more to insure and frankly healthcare costs are easily the highest cost of operating a business let alone payroll. Could they do the same with others? Sure they can test for alcohol, drugs, caffeine etc.
I worked in a place where there was technically unofficially a weight restriction. If you were in management it is expected you operate power equipment. The equipment had a weight capacity of 300 lbs. The focus is on safety. If you cannot work safely then you cannot work period. Out of the hundreds that went in and out of employment there in the past 11 or so years now I think only one had an issue with it.
Want to know another group that is a bit hard to insure? Dental care for carnival workers. If you think I'm kidding think about it for a moment. Constantly traveling might not have access to a dentist etc. In Kentucky it is said that 10% of the population has no teeth! How? Well high well water use (no fluoride), lack of dentists, high soda consumption rate, high tobacco use, high alcohol consumption rate, coal emissions etc. Put that situation anywhere else and you'd get the same results.
Many people in Kentucky are extremely poor and cannot afford to go to the dentist. I live in a pretty prosperous part of the state, but other parts are extremely poor. It is very sad.
You know smoking doesn't affect many people heavily, right? That a person who doesn't smoke has a 1% chance of lung cancer, and a smoker has an 8% chance.
Also, should we start raising premiums for people who eat fast food, drink soda, or don't frequent the gym at least 3 times per week? Where does it stop?
Those are interesting statistics. So a person who smokes is 8 times as likely to get lung cancer than a person who does not. That's a significant difference. Surely, health insurance premiums should take this into consideration.
Whether someone eats fast food, drinks soda, or hits the gym is not directly tied to a health concerns. Insurance companies should consider BMI if anything.
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