We have been notified by employers insurance that we have to take a nicotine test. Refusal means an additional $100 added to our monthly premium. If you test positive they give you a chance to enter a smoking cessation program.
I am feeling a bit miffed about this. I certainly see why they would do this but it seems they are singling out smoking. We don’t smoke so passing the test won’t be a problem. It just makes me think why not monitor other bad habits? Yes I know smoking is an easy one. Heart disease is the number one killer, and a lot of it is due to diet, bp problems due to diet. They aren’t monitoring those folks or giving them a surcharge because they aren’t monitoring their diet. Or the person that’s had joint replacements but doesn’t do therapy and exercise. I know I know their policies their rules, I’m just venting a bit.
Wearable devices reporting all health data back to your insurance company. Heart rate up? Ding $$$$
Use a purchase monitor card to track healthy and unhealthy food purchases…donuts? Ding$$$$
Track your alcohol /drug purchases amount and frequency… 3 drinks purchased in 1 hour at the bar…ding$$$… And your car is remotely disabled…
Body fat calculators … Fatty! Ding$$
Mandatory driver monitors in your car. Too many quick stops…ding$$
Our insurance company started with smoking and now wants the school district to consider blood pressure, cholesterol and BMI.
In truth, our company’s smoking program is too weak.A person can escape the $1200 by going to the smoking cessation program annually. Several people attend, quit for a few weeks then go back. I would think that they would cap it, so that after failing three times the fee would be on them until they pass the test the following year.
Why single out nicotine? Because compared to the other stuff you (quite correctly) identified, it is way more detrimental to one’s health. And it is quite easy to test for using a validated method. It is not a new trend, and the testing was probably requested by the employer to get better group rates; back in 2004, my coworkers were filling out questionnaires about our everyday habits for this same purpose.
True, true. But eventually someone might think, “Dang it. I know smoking’s bad for me. Why don’t I take this smoking cessation program seriously this year?”
Well, people are so attached to employer-provided medical insurance in the US… they should realize that when employers provide medical insurance, they certainly have incentive to want to make employees avoid obviously unhealthy habits like smoking to avoid overrunning the medical insurance budget.
In our area, it’s more " don’t ask, don’t tell".
If they weren’t the best employees, perhaps unloading them for tobacco use is a good enough excuse as any I suppose.
But then it didn’t really have to do with their at home habits.
My former employer did that monitoring and it became more intrusive each year. It started with a health questionnaire and healthy lifestyle classes to do online based on the results and you got a little bonus- $25 or something. When I left that job, it was nicotine testing, BMI (had to be below 24), blood pressure (less than 130/80), blood sugar (A1C less than 7) and alcohol use (less than 2 drinks a day). What I found especially annoying was that some people had quit smoking years prior but used nicotine supplements- patches, vapor, gum- and they still had to pay the extra.
My current employer doesn’t ask for any of the data. They just have you get an annual physical in order to get $1500 put into your HSA from them. I think that is reasonable. Maybe I’m paranoid, but I wouldn’t wear a fit bit for any amount of money. I don’t trust that information might not be used against me somehow.
They also take more frequent and longer breaks. Not to mention that disgusting smell by the back door. I agree it’s unfair to single out just smokers but other people’s obesity or high blood pressure doesn’t affect me in any way.
Post #15, not just the backdoor. I had to talk to this guy and he smelled like an ashtray. He is also overweight, I think that’s a deadly combination. I happen to like this guy but I can’t help notice it.
I think it smacks too much of Big Brother as well.
Especially when these stipulations are required in a workplace that has its own negative impacts on health, it seems a bit ironic.
Do they also monitor drinking and driving, weapon ownership and quality of aerobic exercise?
When I was first employed at my hospital, I had to do an employee health exam. I was livid when I got a letter saying I needed to lose weight from my 5’6" and 124 lb. frame. I was told I needed to be 113 lbs. ideally. That was so outrageously wrong for me-I just now got pissed off again even thinking about it.
That doesn’t even sound healthy.
According to the federal government, you could weigh up to 154 lbs, and be within optimal BMI for that height.
113, is pretty close to underweight.
with the double entendre.