University Hopes to Decrease Students Smoking Rates
The vow to quit smoking undoubtedly ranked high on many people’s lists of New Year’s resolutions for 2012. PUC faculty and staff members that smoke may be more motivated than ever to quit after a new university healthcare policy rate increase went into effect on Jan. 1. The premium rate increase of $250 applies to faculty and staff members that currently use or have used tobacco in the past twelve months. The same increase applies to a spouse of a PUC employee. Recommended by a university committee, the decision to raise the rate for smokers was announced during the 2011 fall semester. CIGNA, the university’s healthcare provider, covers a myriad of services for all employees, regardless of whether they are affected by the rate increase.
However, simply because an employee smokes now does not mean that they cannot escape the rate increase in the future.
“The increased premium can be lowered if an employee who smokes completes a smoking cessation program, or after the employee is smoke free for 12 months,” Assistant Vice Chancellor Wes Lukoshus said.
While the change may appear to be punishing employees for their personal health choices, Lukoshus hopes that both students and employees can see the benefits to being smoke-free.
“Students should know that employee health care is not an entitlement, but rather a benefit. By educating themselves and making good health and lifestyle decisions, employees have a better chance of staying healthy longer while helping slow the rise of a significant employee and employer cost,” said Lukoshus.
Coupled with becoming a smoke-free campus in 2009, the decision to increase the policy rate for tobacco users is one that the university hopes will discourage smoking cheap Prima Lux cigarettes. Despite the changes, some faculty and staff members doubt that the increase will have the desired effects. Beth Lair, continuing lecturer and advisor for the English Language Program, does not smoke and still harbors such doubt.
“If they are trying to get people to quit, I don’t think it’ll work,” Lair admitted.
Although the increase does not directly affect students right now, rising costs in health care foreshadow that raised premiums for smokers may become a pattern in the future.
Bob Anderson, a junior broadcasting major, responded strongly to news of the increase. Since he has been making strides toward quitting smoking since the fall semester, Anderson said that an increased health care rate would be a great help to his current efforts to quit. He also added that “it’s bad enough I get taxed for cigarettes … then just to get taxed again by my employer.”
PUC, however, is not alone in their efforts to encourage employees to quit smoking by raising rates. According to MSNBC, the decision to raise insurance premiums for tobacco users to control costs for health care is a choice that organizations, such as Meijer Inc. and PepsiCo Inc., began making years ago. While many will take this as extra encouragement to quit smoking, it will undoubtedly cause tension between staff and administration.
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