Georgia state employees who smoke to pay $40 more per month for insurance

[Queasy]

Link

Teachers and other state employees who smoke will have to pay $40 a month more for health insurance starting July 1.

Employees are fuming over the surcharge, which hits state workers, public school teachers and their families who admit to smoking or using tobacco in the past 12 months.

Laurie Reid, a secretary with the Board of Pardons and Paroles and a smoker, said her insurance was jumping from $74 to $117 a month.

"That's a lot of money for many state employees," she said. "Our hands are tied. We have to have health insurance. What are we to do?"

Me: errrrr....quit smoking?

About 650,000 people are on the state health insurance plan.

Three states ? West Virginia, Alabama and Kentucky ? are already imposing a surcharge on health insurance for employees who smoke, a trend that has been sweeping private industry as well.

In Georgia, state employees are expected to abide by the honor system when they sign up for insurance 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 insurance for a year, he said.

Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams (R-Lyons) said the surcharge, which helps limit the increase in premiums for state employees, 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.

Williams said many state employees didn't realize the insurance system was self-insured, meaning premiums must go up to meet rising health costs and claims.

"Anytime your costs go up for a plan, people are going to grumble," Burgess said. "But I think what I ask state employees to remember is, the costs of the plan are outstripping our ability to pay for it."

Burgess said it's unclear exactly how much money the tobacco surcharge will raise because the state does not know how many of its employees or their spouses smoke. Perdue's initial recommendation of a $9 per month surcharge estimated a savings of $1.7 million in insurance costs. Legislators increased the surcharge to $27, which would have raised $5.1 million.

Budget gap plugged

Tim Connell, director of the state Office of Planning and Budget, said the surcharge was raised to $40 because the legislators' plan still left a $4 million hole in the health program's budget. The final decision was made by staffers in the governor's office, Community Health and Connell's office.

Employees upset about the higher payments were expected to attend a meeting today of the Department of Community Health's board.

Jerry Head, who has worked for the state for 30 years, said he had gotten accustomed to seeing his health insurance premiums go up every year.

"But the one thing that really ticks me is the smoking penalty," said Head, a non-smoker who works at Georgia Regional Hospital in Atlanta. His wife smokes and probably would have used the threat of having to pay more for health insurance as an incentive to quit, he said.

"But ? even should she quit today, we still must pay the penalty of $40 per month for the next year ? in effect, penalizing us for a past action that had always been previously tolerated," he said.

During the last three years, state employees have experienced double-digit increases in their health insurance premiums and little in the way of pay increases.

"Basically, it's become a situation where the employer will provide the health insurance, but nobody can afford it," said Ralph Williams, president of the Service Employees International Union Local 198.

Rep. Alan Powell (D-Hartwell), a smoker who says he is trying to quit, thinks the surcharge is unfair.

"It's a legal product," Powell said. "If you want a surcharge, don't just put it on smoking. Why not do it based on weight? If you are going to put the surcharge on smoking, put it on that six-pack drinker."

 

Who would ever be dumb enough to tell your insurance carrier that you smoke.

I consider this a stupidity tax.

 

[scorpmatt]

heh, put a tax on a six pack drinker?

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Who would ever be dumb enough to tell your insurance carrier that you smoke.

I consider this a stupidity tax.

If you tell them you don't smoke and they find out you do, you'll get fined.

 

[43st]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Who would ever be dumb enough to tell your insurance carrier that you smoke.

I consider this a stupidity tax.

If the insurance company isn't properly notified they can deny coverage if/when they find out. Same goes for auto insurance when people try to insure a car through a parent and drive it in another city/state.

 

[Amplifier]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: SampSon
Who would ever be dumb enough to tell your insurance carrier that you smoke.

I consider this a stupidity tax.

If you tell them you don't smoke and they find out you do, you'll get fined.

How would they find out? Not making a statement I'm curious.

 

[Zysoclaplem]

Sorry. Smokers are more likely to have health problems, so they charge smokers more. I can imagine if I taught skydiving for a living, I would pay more for insurance.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Amplifier

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: SampSon
Who would ever be dumb enough to tell your insurance carrier that you smoke.

I consider this a stupidity tax.

If you tell them you don't smoke and they find out you do, you'll get fined.

How would they find out? Not making a statement I'm curious.

Insurance companies have ways. Oh yes. They have ways. Muhaahahahahaha

 

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: SampSon
Who would ever be dumb enough to tell your insurance carrier that you smoke.

I consider this a stupidity tax.

If you tell them you don't smoke and they find out you do, you'll get fined.

Find out how? From a doctor reporting that you smoke? My doctor would never do that.

Fine me? I'll just drop them as a carrier if they try that. They are a company, not the govt.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Amplifier

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: SampSon
Who would ever be dumb enough to tell your insurance carrier that you smoke.

I consider this a stupidity tax.

If you tell them you don't smoke and they find out you do, you'll get fined.

How would they find out? Not making a statement I'm curious.

You go to Doc for problem they put down MAYBE related to smoking or its put in your chart etc...

Really worse case you get cancer. Insurance finds out and will not pay as you lied. Now you are stuck with hundreds of thousands of dollars of med bills.

 

[PanzerIV]

I don't feel badly for them in the least. They have increased health care costs due to their habit thus they should have to pay more. I don't see how they could even debate that point.

 

[MaxDSP]

Originally posted by: PanzerIV
I don't feel badly for them in the least. They have increased health care costs due to their habit thus they should have to pay more. I don't see how they could even debate that point.

:thumbsup:

 

[DivideBYZero]

Good.

 

[Nitemare]

How bout charge fat people extra too?

 

[woowoo]

It's the same for Kentucky state workers.

 

[dmcowen674]

Slippery slope not just Georgia but whole Country is falling down and most likely will not be able to get back up.

I am no fan of smoking but an even less fan of a Nanny State (Country).

Anyone notice there is no end to the continued eating away of "personal" liberties???

Achtung Baby

 

[gsellis]

If they find out, coverage is revoked.

Also a surcharge for employees that can be covered under a spouse's plan instead.

See Boortz's daily page for more hilarity.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: PanzerIV
I don't feel badly for them in the least. They have increased health care costs due to their habit thus they should have to pay more. I don't see how they could even debate that point.

They pay more already in Sin Taxes on the Cigarettes themselves.

Government and Insurance double, triple dipping as usual.

 

[Amused]

I have no problem with this. Higher risk people SHOULD pay more in insurance rates.

This is a FAR better idea than banning it using the old line of "it costs society money."

 

[jtusa]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
How bout charge fat people extra too?

Haha, I think they should, but then again I'm an asshole.

 

[PanzerIV]

Originally posted by: jtusa4

Originally posted by: Nitemare
How bout charge fat people extra too?

Haha, I think they should, but then again I'm an asshole.

Hey, if they increase health care costs and it's not a genetic condition I agree.

 

[woowoo]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
How bout charge fat people extra too?

Mark my words.......

That will be next.

Who is to say which is worse?
Smoking or being more than 30lbs. overweight.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Slippery slope not just Georgia but whole Country is falling down and most likely will not be able to get back up.

I am no fan of smoking but an even less fan of a Nanny State (Country).

Anyone notice there is no end to the continued eating away of "personal" liberties???

Achtung Baby

Devil's Advocate but why should Johnny pay more for his insurance because Davey smokes? Shouldn't Davey pay that difference instead?

I don't see this as taking away someone's personal liberties since Davey can still smoke. He just pays higher premiums.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: woowoo

Originally posted by: Nitemare
How bout charge fat people extra too?

Mark my words.......

That will be next.

Who is to say which is worse?
Smoking or being more than 30lbs. overweight.

I'd laugh they if they use that BMI rating to determine who is overweight.

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Slippery slope not just Georgia but whole Country is falling down and most likely will not be able to get back up.

I am no fan of smoking but an even less fan of a Nanny State (Country).

Anyone notice there is no end to the continued eating away of "personal" liberties???

Achtung Baby

No threats on personal liberties here. Nobody's telling you that you can't smoke.

I don't really see the problem, smokers damage their bodies = more doctors visits = more bills. They should pay more.