Tobacco Surcharge On Employer Coverage?
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I work in a casino in Indiana that is charging smokers a $25.00 a month tobacco surcharge. My question is since I work in a smoking environment and exposed to second hand smoke my entire shift why should I have to pay to smoke? My family doctor has visited my casino and his exact quote was “As long as you work at that casino you might as well smoke”. I think it is totally wrong to charge me to smoke when my employer wants to operate a smoking allowed business and has no concerns for my health. If you can answer this I would appreciate it. Thank you
christie
The government is stealing from the people.people have the right to live life there way. Were do they get off taking money for someone else’s work. If we are going to charge people for bad choices then the government should be paying us for all there bad choices.Stop judging people and walk a mile in their shoes.And if your going to surcharge someone then put the money in a account for when they get sick. This is still the USA we have freedom for a reason.
Aaron Michel
This is one example of big government one personal preference imposed on everyone at the point of a gun situation. Cigar smokers often live longer than nonsmokers and are healthier. I’m 58, smoke a cigar a day and am in excellent health and always have been. My wife does not smoke and has had significant health problems her whole life, which are covered by the premiums I pay. I should not have to pay for something that has no correlation or factual basis to my healthcare costs.
Casi Know
The Seminole Casinos in Florida are now charging a weekly Smoker’s Surcharge to ALL its employees whether or not they have health insurance through the company. This not only includes all tobacco products but also electronic vaporizers as well. Management states that the surcharge is to pay for the implementation of the cessation program. However, even if the employees quit smoking they will still be exposed to vast amounts of second-hand smoke since the facility allows its guests to smoke. I asked management what happens if the smokers quit and then started getting sick from the second-hand smoke? This is the exact scenario that happened to me and management basically told me that I had to deal with it or quit my job which is why I had to start smoking again after six months to desensitize myself from the second-hand smoke.
As far as my employer paying for the surcharge that’s an emphatic NO, they pass the cost to the employees. Furthermore, this isn’t the first time, the employees had health care costs raised BEFORE Obamacare was ever put into place.The costs were raised in anticipation of Obamacare and each year after while eliminating benefits and raising co-pays and out-of-pocket costs.
ObamaCareFacts.com
Casinos seem to oddly be able to do this. This is because apparently working in a place where people smoke puts casino employees in at the same risk level as smokers according to health insurers. A lot to think about there.