And if we catch you smoking you'll be charge $25

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Recently, our hopsital made insurance adjustments which included employees having to certify that they were non-smokers or be charge $25.00 a week extra for health insurance. They have also begun to charge any employee that catch smoking on any hospital property $25.00 for every time they are caught. I'm not a smoker, but this is really taking things kinda far. I still see patients and family members smoking on benches inspite of them putting up additional signs and taking sown smoking hutts. Anyone else have this going on by them? I hear the next move similar to this is gonna be for the over-weight employees. I might have to find a new job then.

Another user who quotes something as fact and then can't back it up LOL. Ok please link the study where it looked at LUNG CANCER. When you state something the burden of proof is on you, my friend.

I didn't state anything as "proof." I was mentioning a specific study that I read a while back. I thought it was interesting and I thought the poster I was responding to might find it interesting as well.

You're a very poor reader.

Also, google is your friend as evidenced by my post on the previous page.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, School Nursing, & Community Health.
Here is an article about the study. Study Finds No Cancer-Marijuana Connection - washingtonpost.com

Here's a study on Marijuana and lung cancer:http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/15/10/1829.full.pdf+html?sid=19db5cb5-a854-4cd6-87a0-44d3333d079e

Here's something on Marijuana and COPD: http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/180/8/797

Here's the guy who's research you "don't buy." http://www.lung.med.ucla.edu/faculty/tashkin.htm

I'm very sure I'll receive an intelligent critique of the study. /sarcasm

Thank you! I'm interested in reading this despite your failed attempt at wit :rolleyes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Thank you! I'm interested in reading this despite your failed attempt at wit :rolleyes:

You're welcome. I thought better of it and edited that out of my post, but you quoted me before it was removed.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, School Nursing, & Community Health.

That's ok :) I was genuinely interested in the subject but maybe my first post came off wrong. I did find this though http://lungcancer.about.com/od/causesoflungcance1/f/marijuana.htm which states that subsequent studies did show a link between smoking marijuana and cancer. I'm no research guru so I can't speak to the validity of any of the studies.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Public Health - Pediatrics.

I am from NC and I hope to never work for the state again. Three years was long enough for me. Now I'm headed to nursing school! :D

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I've worked for many employers, including one health insurance company, and they all charged around an extra $25 for being a smoker. It's the health insurance company that was charging it. If you go shopping for individual health insurance, they will ask if you smoke or not. If you do, they charge more because you are considered a higher risk.

As far as charging $25 when they get caught, you are not permitted to smoke on hospital grounds so if they choose to do that, then that's their fault. The policy is in place to protect the patients. At the hospital I volunteer at, security will escort those people away. I can't believe some people stand right outside the emergency department and try to light it up. They have to go across the road to smoke and they are quickly forced to do so. I haven't seen employees do it but I was told if I did it, I would be let go as a volunteer.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I don't see how it's not fair. Just looking at it logically, smokers of any profession cost more on the health insurance program; how is it therefore not fair to charge them more? If you have a PMH, you're automatically charged more, on private insurance plans, for the obvious reason that you're more of a risk. So, if you have some factor (particularly a modifiable one) such as smoking, high BMI, high cholesterol, snorting up, not wearing a seat belt, whatever, that puts you at risk of having more health problems, doesn't it make sense for you to be charged more? That just sounds like treating people like adults. You're free to make your own choices, but YOU, not your coworkers who don't make those choices, should be expected to carry your own weight a little.

And, seriously, if you lie on an insurance form just because you're trying to weasel your way out, how is it totally not fair and legal for them to fine you? It's just the same extra charge that you would get for not lying about being a smoker, right? They're not even being punitive there.

And why should they expect anything from patients and patients' family members? I just gotta say it, that's a kind of stupid argument, given that 1) the hospital doesn't own the patients, but it does own its employees in one sense, whether you like it or not - they own us by paying our salaries/benefits; 2) in Western culture, a lot, maybe the majority, of patients are there in hospitals BECAUSE they made poor health choices, and if they're making poor health choices, it's a good bet someone in their family is, too. No judgment there; just a fact.

Come on, if you expect patients to be beholden to the same rules that employees are, wouldn't the hospital be paying them salaries, too, and having the patients work? That's kind of the whole difference between the patients/clients, in any profession, who receive products/services and pay for it, and the employees/service providers, who produce products/give service, and ARE paid for it. You don't have to take economics to know that.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The point is, if hospitals and insurance companies are going to start penalizing employees, and people in general for unhealthy, but legal activities, then they need to put up or shut up. No alcohol, no fatness, no couch surfing, no speeding, no extreme sports, no pointy objects, no running with scissors, no swimming in the deep end without your floaties, and you must wear a helmet at all times.

Fribblet, I think the difference is that smoking hurts the body pretty much all the time - again, unless you're the exception to the rule and smoke all your life and don't have any health repercussions - as well as hurting those around you; whereas moderate amounts of alcohol is healthy, the majority of extreme sports events are not unhealthy/lethal, and obviously anyone who engages in a sport, much less an extreme one, is likely in good health, or on the road to good health. Wearing a helmet, I'll grant you, is always a good idea, especially for anyone who has some self-respect for their brain and who would like to keep it in working order. Speeding isn't really a good idea, but, again, the majority of the time (unlike smoking) it does not lead to poor health, and if you want to go there, there really are other behaviors, e.g., tailing, cutting someone off, changing lanes without signaling, and in general poor communication / ******* matches between drivers, that are more likely to lead to accidents. And, obviously, people have to eat to freakin' stay alive, and eating some foods can GIVE you good health - whereas you can't, of course, say that smoking is either necessary for life or can give you good health.

So, I don't think your argument holds water.

Besides, even if it was a valid point, it doesn't really matter - the insurance company is a business, and, like any business, it can make any decision it wants to positively affect profit. Whether they choose to save some money by cracking down on smokers, or save even more money by going after not only smokers but also overweight people, extreme sports-people, speeders, non-helmet users, is really up to them. Obviously, in our culture, it's easier for them to go after a commonly disapproved of practice like smoking than obesity, but you can't say "all or nothing;" they can save a little money by going after smokers, or more money by going after smokers + other practitioners of negative health habits. It doesn't really make sense for you to say that they shouldn't be trying to increase their profits by "just SOME, instead of a LOT."

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LPN, Peds, Public Health.
If I could I would give you ONE MILLION Kudos!!!!! Why only smokers? There are rule breakers all over the hospital. What about people with drinks at the nurses station?

Just wait. Nurses with CHF, DM, HTN, Asthma, high BMI, etc are next. You "bad" CHF person!!! You ended up in the hospital because you drank an extra liter of fluid! We are not going to pay your bill because it is your fault!

And yeah, where is this 25 dollars going???? I bet it will go to managements "long lunch" fund, or to redecorate their damn offices. I would QUIT this job. And yeah, I smoke too.

People with drinks at the nurse's station are not endangering the health of anyone else.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LPN, Peds, Public Health.

The difference in cigarette smoking and eating poorly is this: You can eat whatever you want, it only affects YOU... (and possibly your family, but thats a different topic....) Cigarette smoking affects everyone around you. Their health can be affected because of a choice YOU made, not a choice THEY made.

I absolutely HATE walking into a store and the employees (and sometimes customers) are standing at the entrance outside smoking. My children have to walk through that... how is that fair to them???

If you want to smoke, do it on your own time, away from your place of employment. Do it at home. Whatever. Just dont subject my children to your smoke.

As for the marijuana and cigarette and alcohol debate, as far as I know, marijuana and alcohol are not allowed at work either...

Personally, I think they are all bad and should be done away with. But you dont see employees going out on their 15 minute break drinking a bottle of whiskey or drinking a beer or 2 either, so they really arent even comparable as far as the work issue goes....

Up Vote Up Vote ×
The difference in cigarette smoking and eating poorly is this: You can eat whatever you want, it only affects YOU... (and possibly your family, but thats a different topic....) Cigarette smoking affects everyone around you. Their health can be affected because of a choice YOU made, not a choice THEY made.

I absolutely HATE walking into a store and the employees (and sometimes customers) are standing at the entrance outside smoking. My children have to walk through that... how is that fair to them???

If you want to smoke, do it on your own time, away from your place of employment. Do it at home. Whatever. Just dont subject my children to your smoke.

Would you also like us to stop driving cars? Smog and air pollution are more detrimental to your children's well being than walking briskly through a puff of smoke in a doorway.

That being said, I agree that if you're not allowed to smoke indoors, one shouldn't smoke at the doorway. However, if someone is in their yard and you and your kids walk by on the sidewalk, you can cross the street.

Although, frankly, I'd be more upset at the junker driving by in a cloud of exhaust than some guy enjoying himself.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment