Tennessee Hospital Tells Smokers: You Can't Work Here
By: Health Insurance
Submitted: 2010-02-02 14:35:52 | Word Count: 369
Though Memorial Hospital would not comment on the new policy, this comes at a time when many businesses are paying higher insurance premiums for employees who smoke. And some companies have attributed their policies against smokers to the cost of health insurance for smokers.
A spokesperson for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee told ABC News they have noticed a greater interest in keeping employee groups healthy.
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"We are aware of increased efforts by employers to address the health status of their employees along with the affordability of that care. These efforts range from offerings like health coaching and gym memberships to on-site educational campaigns and incentive programs," said media relations manager Mary Thompson. Thompson added that they do not have data to track the specifics of tobacco policies of group accounts.
But some pressure is coming in the other direction, to preserve the right of people to smoke when it comes outside the workplace.
Eugene Volokh, a professor of constitutional law at UCLA, said that while most states do not have them, some -- including North Carolina -- have passed laws preventing employers from regulating employees' out-of-office activities if they do not affect work. While these laws are perceived as protecting people who smoke, they also allow people who participate in dangerous sports to continue pursuing those activities.
While federal laws exist to prevent discrimination, "It is actually limited to very few categories of discrimination," Volokh said, including race, religion, disability and nationality.
"By and large, most hospitals don't care if you ski off duty,"Volokh said. "They probably don't even care if you drink off duty." While policies against hiring smokers are rare, company policies banning smoking on the work site are not.
Matthew Farrelly, director of the Public Health Policy research program at RTI, says he has seen a steady increase in smoking bans over the years.
