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Health Insurance Discounts
for Non-Tobacco Users – 5/25/05
Q:
Do you have any information on health plans/employers
that offer discounts on health insurance premiums for employees
that do not use tobacco?
A:
- Alabama: we just passed legislation to
enable our state employees and public education employees
health insurance programs to charge an extra $20 per month
for tobacco users. Non-tobacco users are required to submit
an affidavit declaring they are non-tobacco users and a
release for the use of the insurer to have access to our
medical information for the purposes of verifying that information.
The new fee structure will go into effect October 2005.
I would be happy to fax the form to the state inquiring,
if needed. I also heard in a board meeting of the insurer
yesterday, that federal law requires those charging additional
premiums for tobacco use offer cessation programs, but I
have not verified this information.
- Georgia: Source: AP, 2005-05-12. State
employees who smoke will soon have to start paying an extra
$40 a month for health insurance. The surcharge will affect
state workers, public school teachers and their family members
who admit to smoking or using tobacco in the past year.
It will begin July 1.
Employees will be expected to use the honor system when
they sign up for coverage and are asked whether they use
tobacco, said Tim Burgess, commissioner of the Georgia Department
of Community Health. Those caught lying will lose their
health insurance for a year, he said.
Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams, R-Lyons, said the
surcharge will help limit the increase in premiums for state
employees and was adopted to fill a projected $400 million
shortfall in the insurance fund. Gov. Sonny Perdue proposed
a 13 percent rise in premiums, but lawmakers dropped it
to 9.5 percent.
"Smokers are very expensive. In the private sector,
you pay more if you are a smoker and you pay more for your
spouse," Williams said.
- Kentucky: Kentucky's state employees
who do not use tobacco pay a lower premium for health insurance
this calendar year. A new incentive by Governor Fletcher,
who is a physician.
- West Virginia: the West Virginia Public
Employees Insurance Agency provides insurance benefits to
over 200,000 public employees and their families. We do
offer a comprehensive tobacco cessation program via a quit
line which offers proactive phone coaching, educational
materials and pharmacological supports. When we launched
the quit line, we coupled it with a premium differential
on health insurance which is currently $15 per month for
an individual plan and $30 per month for a family plan if
anyone in the family is a tobacco user. We also have a premium
differential on life insurance of 30%.
You might want to visit our website to view some of the
documents we require of the members addressing their tobacco
free status. Please visit:
http://www.westvirginia.com/peia
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