Health Insurance "Tobacco" Surcharge

[Sully]

Had open enrollment benefits session today. Whats new for this year? All heath care cost are the same, unless you use e-cigrettes or vape, in which case, you need to pay an extra $300. Of course this already applied to other tobacco products, but for the last two years, ecigs were fine and I was not required to pay the tobacco surcharge. Needless to say, I'm not pleased.

They also told us, if we wanted to do four months worth of tobacco cessation sessions they would reimburse the costs. Really?

 

[BigNasty]

Other than doing a nic test just do not vape for a day or so before the test and then fuck them.
Oh and go out to eat a nice big dinner of eggplant parm and get a copy of the bill... tomato and eggplant both are high in natural nic.

 

[Cavediver]

Disappointing, but not surprising. Our policy holder failed to include vaping this year, asking only about smoking or chewing / dipping. I expect that will change at the next enrollment.

Did they link it to nicotine use, or just call it out as vaping?

 

[Sully]

They call it out as the Tobacco and Nicotine Policy.

Being tobacco and nicotine free is one of the single most important choices you can make to improve your health. Not only is using tobacco and nicotine damaging to your body, but it also costs us all millions of dollars each year. To help align our wellness goals with our benefit plans, tobacco users will pay a $300 annual surcharge if they are enrolled in a medical plan (applied as a $12.50 charge per pay period).

If you are enrolled in a medical plan, you must actively certify during annual enrollment that you’re tobacco free or you will pay the surcharge.

"Who Is Considered a "Tobacco User"?

A tobacco user is anyone who currently uses cigarettes, e-cigarettes, chew, cigars and any other tobacco-related materials. This includes regular tobacco usage and occasional tobacco use during social occasions."

 

[Sully]

I'm going to be honest about it, according to their language, I am a "tobacco user" and I must pay the man. (Even though I haven't even used my health insurance for over 2 years)

 

[Tripster]

If I need medical...I go within the Black Market, just know who you're doing business with and you'll be just fine.

 

[Cavediver]

"Who Is Considered a "Tobacco User?

A tobacco user is anyone who currently uses cigarettes, e-cigarettes, chew, cigars and any other tobacco-related materials. This includes regular tobacco usage and occasional tobacco use during social occasions."

So they're even trying to nail the guys who smoke three or four cigars per year?
Lol.

Next year we're all going to get slapped with a breathing surcharge.
Five years from now we'll all be paying a BMI surcharge.

 

[Sully]

Five years from now we'll all be paying a BMI surcharge.

They have already done this, if your not in a healthy BMI range, you pay another $300 too. Or as they like to call it you get a $300 reward if you are in a healthy BMI range. I get another $600 "off" if I pass a health screening (blood pressure etc etc.).

 

[BigNasty]

They have already done this, if your not in a healthy BMI range, you pay another $300 too. Or as they like to call it you get a $300 reward if you are in a healthy BMI range. I get another $600 "off" if I pass a health screening (blood pressure etc etc.).

That is utter 1000% fucking retard grade bullshit.. BMI index is over 100 years old and no fucking where accurate. It sees weight as weight only.
I have known navy seals at 3% body fat, ran ultrathons and could crush the iron man in their sleep get labeled obese because their height weight did not match the narrow ass little boxes. If they were as small as they "required" to be they could not preform their job in any fashion nor be able to physically do half of what they were doing.

Honestly if I was the weight it would put me at as healthy, I would be sick as hell and in no way healthy, or happy. In the last 20 years I was at that weight for a while and people thought I had cancer or some other horrible wasting disease. 6'6" 185lbs is bean pole sickly.

 

[Cloudy Peak Vapes]

I'm shocked at two things... That vaping is included in the charge, and that it's only $300 a YEAR. Before the healthcare changes, I was paying out of my ass a huge amount for the insurance that I need. In this old policy I had, tobacco users paid around $100 or more extra a MONTH. I thought that was fair, though I wasn't using tobacco anymore. They did no testing, either.

I fully think that you should pay more if you're a smoker, but to lump in vaping is crazy. And as @BigNasty said, BMI is such a horrible way to determine a healthy weight. Any decent doctor will even tell you that. I'm not opposed, however, to offering extremely obese people the option to help them lose weight, or else charge them more. That is a lifestyle CHOICE, and it raises healthcare costs for all of us.

 

[MD_Boater]

At this time, there are NO proven, documented health issues caused by vaping. So why should we pay extra?

Vape some no nic juice for 5 full days, and then go take the blood test. If they find cotinine, pay the surcharge. If they don't, use the $300 to buy some new mods and juice. That's what I did, and I saved $75 per month. When I visit the doctor now, my chart reads, "Lungs - clear" after they take a listen. So now the health insurance company wants to charge me for improving my health? NFW. During those 5 days, if you need a nic fix, vape some regular juice, and follow it up immediately with a tall glass or two of grapefruit juice (Google "cotinine ++Grapefruit" to see for yourself). It prevents nicotine from being metabolized into cotinine, and you will test as a non smoker.