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Smokers At Carle To Pay Extra For Health Insurance

Across the street from Carle Hospital, In six months cigarettes users who work at Carle Hospital will have to pay extra for their health insurance.

Last week Carle sent out a letter to employees stating that on Jan. 1, Carle will tack on $30 more per month to the Carle Health Insurance Plan premiums for cigarettes users.

"Times are hard now so to tackle an extra $30 for insurance is uncalled for," explained an employee who works for Carle who didn't want WCIA to use their name.

The hospital said its main goal is to encourage good employee health and lead by example for patients.

"It's not hereditary it's not anything within their DNA, it's something that they choose to do so it's something we felt we had an obligation to set the standard with our patients as far as saying this is where we stand, this is what we advocate for you as a patient," said Phil Kubow, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Carle.

Along with health, the hospital said it's a good way to maintain costs. Currently the hospital spends about $50 million a year to provide health insurance to workers.

"This is one way that we can help control that cost without actually raising the premium on all employees," said Kubow.

Carle is offering free programs to help people with the habit called, I Can Quit. The program is through Health Alliance and is done over the phone with pharmaceutical therapy, including the drug Chantix.

Despite the help, many workers still feel that the new policy is an intrusion of space.

"I don't think it's fair people choose to do what they want to do with their own life you can't change a person from where they work at as to why they shouldn't smoke cigarettes or what they do with their day to day life," said the employee.

"I want to make sure everybody understands we are not telling anyone what they can and can't do, all we're saying is that if you choose to do it, you're going to pay a little bit more," said Kubow.

Even with the incentive and higher price tag, it all comes down to will power.

"It is a good motivation, but it's all within us of taking the step of wanting to quit smoking cigarettes cigarettes," said the employee.

The hospital said it's behind, and many other places across the country have put into place plans where people have to pay hundreds more.

Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa will stop hiring smokers and testing future employees for nicotine staring in July.

Kubow said that's not something the hospital is doing in it's new policy. The new policy does have people questioning if obesity would be the next thing the hospital would charge employees extra for on insurance.

"We've heard that same question from employees as far as the slippery slope theory, if it's smoking cigarettes today, what's it going to be tomorrow, we chose cheap cigarettes use because again it's solely a choice," he explained. "There are people that are obese, they are obese beyond their control."

The letter employees received also included new polices to, "restrict the use of discount cigarettes products in personal vehicles while on Carle property," and people who smell like cheap cigarettes or smoke cigarettes will have to go home and change without pay.

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