On December 16, the Pima County Board will vote on a policy which will debar any smoker from being hired. The Pima County Board of Supervisors will be voting also to impose a 30% health insurance surcharge on such workers who smoke or use tobacco products. The smokers will be forced to quit if they want to work for Pima County in Arizona. The county is asking its citizens to remain healthy and consider a hiring ban on smokers.
Enforcing such a ban will lead to an annual saving of $1 million by the way of health care costs. According to Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry , the savings will be considerable if the work force is replaced b y non smokers.
Huckelberry said in an interview, “Our taxpayers pay for our health insurance because we are self-insured. Anything we can do to reduce the cost is beneficial.”
Pima County health department estimates that about 32% of its workforce of 2,300 workers is addicted to tobacco or its products. It is estimated that tobacco users cost the county $13.4 million annually.
If the new policy comes into effect, workers will have to furnish a Doctor’s note or a drug test to prove that they have abstained from having tobacco or nicotine for year.Non smokers will be offered a $5 health-care discount every pay period. On the other hand tobacco users will be asked to pay 30 percent more for their health care premium each paycheck. The policy will also include electronic cigarettes but will not be applicable on nicotine gum or patches.
There has been dissenting voices also with people calling such ban as discriminatory.
Dr. Michael Siegel, a Boston University public health professor who advocates for smoke-free workplaces, said “Discrimination is essentially making employment decisions based on a group to which someone belongs rather than their qualifications for the job.”
Tim B says
Surprisingly, this may be upheld upon court challenge although it does seem wrong to negatively affect a class of employees for using a legal and government taxed product.
Fair or not, one can sense what the number one New Year resolution will be among Pima County employees.
Houston Calhoun says
Another smack upside the heads of the smokers of America, and the crowd applauds. Yes, it is only in Pima County now, but everything starts small. Perhaps soon other counties will adopt this kind of program if it is instituted in Pima County? Why not? It’s helping everyone in the long run, is it not?
In fact, we should not stop at just smokers. Why not ask more from the health care premiums of employees who are considered “medically obese” (and rest assured, most people are “medically obese”)? If we start hitting “medically obese” people in their pocketbooks, would that not be an incentive for them to lose weight and lead a more healthier life? Wouldn’t that be beneficial to all of us, including the “medically non-obese” people. Perhaps employers should not hire individuals who have certain hobbies (extreme sports, or skiing, or mountain biking, etc.)? You can lead a healthy lifestyle by simply walking, right? And walking is much more safer than those other sports (which tend to lead to injuries, some severe). Perhaps we should allow for family history to take part in this human resource development? If a potential employee has a family history of a certain disorder, perhaps they should be overlooked for a position with the employer, or at the very least, charged more for their health premium.
It may sound like a silly argument, and perhaps you will just brush it off as a stupid rant, but the American people should really be wary of laws and regulations such as the one described above. The way I look at it, you let one thing in, and a whole bunch of other things may follow. You may think that banning smokers from employment is a good thing, but you will sing a much different tune when they start to question the way you live and the habits you have.
While working, whatever rules the employer institutes, those rules should be followed by the employees. Outside of work, the employer needs to mind its own business. Maybe it isn’t a perfect plan, but it is the best one around.
P.S. I’m not a smoker.
RealityAlwaysBites says
Lets also include those that eat too much, talk to much, drink to much, don’t have the right religious views, correct political views, HELLO SPANISH INQUISITION!!