Smoking cigarettes is a significant risk to one's health, making it difficult to insure workers who engage in the activity. While the risks of cancer and emphysema are important to address, the most dangerous side effect of smoking comes from the fact that it increases the likelihood of high blood pressure and heart disease. Because heart ailments are the number one killers in the U.S., companies need to be aware of the extent to which their employees smoke in order to provide affordable benefits.
Thankfully, the CDC reports that the number of Americans who smoke is consistently decreasing. In fact, besides dropping in general, more people who continue to smoke are having far fewer cigarettes each day. This is great news for employers because the cost of insuring a smoker is much more than for a non-smoker, yet all employees will want to be covered by medical insurance.
Companies can helpfully suggest that staff members quit smoking, but they are in no way able to force them to do so. However, pointing out to personnel that a reduction in cigarette consumption will reduce benefit costs will help to effectively make the case that it is an unhealthy habit and makes financial sense.
