Vaping NOT Classified as Smoking or Tobacco Use by Company Insurance

[InTheShade]

Well I just finished up a call about the upcoming open enrollment for medical benefits for 2016 with my HR rep.

It was stated clearly that smokers and tobacco users will face a surcharge of $50 per month, but vapers are excluded from this fee.

I still feel that the smokers and chewers are getting the shaft with the surcharge - but I am delighted that vaping is actually getting classed into the non-smokers catagory.

I feel this is the exception rather than the rule - at least thinking back to most of the threads I saw on ECF last year.

So, quick straw poll - how is vaping catagorized with your company insurance?

 

[bacc.vap]

I can't answer your question as I don't have an insurance company, but I've thought for a long time that getting the insurance companies on board with vaping could go a long way to help making it acceptable and fight the antz. Insurance companies are all about the bottom line, if they're for vaping all the antz's rhetoric wouldn't hold as much weight with the general public.

 

[Princessdee]

What company, if I may ask? We have United Healthcare and it asked "do you use nicotine?" So, surcharge for both of us.

 

[InTheShade]

What company, if I may ask? We have United Healthcare and it asked "do you use nicotine?" So, surcharge for both of us.

We use United Healthcare too - I'd rather not say the company. Hmm, that's weird. Maybe it's a decision for the company then and not the insurance company. I know last year they did not have a specific clause about vaping and just asked about tobacco (not nicotine) use.

I'll dig a little deeper and see if I can find out - but I just checked with another worker who was on the call and they heard the exact same thing I did so I wasn't hearing things.

 

[Princessdee]

I meant insurance company.
Thanks, it might be a company-he-works-for decision rather than an insurance company decision.
Now I'm curious.

 

[skoony]

It's a state by state issue. Some states say you must claim it the same as smoking,
some states say you can.t,some states leave it up the the insurance company.
Contact the agency that regulates insurance in your state for more info.
Regards
Mike

 

[rhm3769]

What company, if I may ask? We have United Healthcare and it asked "do you use nicotine?" So, surcharge for both of us.

My company charges everyone the same rate, and gives those claiming they are tobacco-free a "refund" of a portion of it each check. For 2015, vaping falls under tobacco use and whatever you claim, its on the honor system, so no tests to prove your claims, unless there is reason to test for tobacco use.... The same goes for covered dependents. They claim they consider vaping under the same umbrella is because they can't be sure how safe or harmful it is. I doubt it has to do with the insurance companies, my company is pretty big and some states and plans fall under different insurance companies. Haven't seen details about the 2016 plans and policies yet, hoping there is a better outcome, or they just get rid of the tobacco-free thing....

 

[skoony]

They claim they consider vaping under the same umbrella is because they can't be sure how safe or harmful it is.

Your company and the insurance company's know how safe it is. Its their job to know.
Its free money for them. they don't expect vapers will ever need it to cover health costs.
Regards
mike

 

[towelie]

My work classies vaping as smoking...ie no vaping indoors on premesis. insurance just asks are you a tobacco user? to which my sworn affadavit is a resounding no.blue cross blue sheild.

 

[rhm3769]

Your company and the insurance company's know how safe it is. Its their job to know.
Its free money for them. they don't expect vapers will ever need it to cover health costs.
Regards
mike

Either way, I'm claiming tobacco Free.... We can't smoke, vape, dip, chew on company property, even off the clock.... Even when I smoked, I had no medical problems that could be related to smoking, so....
I haven't asked about and haven't seen it asked about, but I doubt they even differentiate between nic and 0mg nic so I've just cut my nic levels down

 

[RandyF]

A lot of insurances are moving from "tobacco" use to "nicotine" use. Either way, I always state no, they shouldn't be able to just adjust the wording in an attempt to siphon more money. If I need to switch to 0nic for a bit to pass an exam, so be it, but tobacco isn't the only source of nicotine, maybe I eat a lot of eggplant.

 

[Belhade]

My New York-based BC/BS insurance, and my employer for terms of using a company vehicle, do not consider vaping tobacco use. So for all intents and purposes I am a non-smoker.

 

[bluecat]

On both my life insurance and health insurance I am a non smoker. I still have to wait a few years before I get non-smoking rates though.

The big issue is aca or obamacare. It cannot be funded with out the smokers surcharge which is in some cases 50% increase. The sad thing is the exchanges are supposed to cover smoking cessation programs. The only state that does is West Virginia. I will say a passive smoker (is there a thing) is not considered a smoker. Go figure.

Unfortunately what we have now is a government/private abomination of insurance.

 

[rhm3769]

On both my life insurance and health insurance I am a non smoker. I still have to wait a few years before I get non-smoking rates though.

The big issue is aca or obamacare. It cannot be funded with out the smokers surcharge which is in some cases 50% increase. The sad thing is the exchanges are supposed to cover smoking cessation programs. The only state that does is West Virginia. I will say a passive smoker (is there a thing) is not considered a smoker. Go figure.

Unfortunately what we have now is a government/private abomination of insurance.

The previous smoker health questions are the reason I only have the basic "no questions asked" life insurance policy offered through work, its not worth the risk divulging I used to smoke 2 years ago and the employer trying to pull something seeking a nicotine test since I didn't "quit" using their approved program but I wasn't an employee then.... Shouldn't be a problem, but I could see some loophole coming up like that....

 

[InTheShade]

I can't answer your question as I don't have an insurance company, but I've thought for a long time that getting the insurance companies on board with vaping could go a long way to help making it acceptable and fight the antz. Insurance companies are all about the bottom line, if they're for vaping all the antz's rhetoric wouldn't hold as much weight with the general public.

I agree bacc.vap, the insurance companies can have a huge say in the public perception of vaping.

Just as an aside, every employee is going to have the same call-in meeting I did.
The fact that vaping is now being mentioned as the same as not smoking to over 300,000 people my company employs makes me feel very good about being a vapor.

 

[InTheShade]

A lot of Medical jobs require no nicotine use either on or off the clock. I read the linked article a while back.

http://www.workforce.com/articles/n...me-employment-offers-at-health-care-companies

For me where is the line drawn? If you participate in extreme sports or eat a high fat diet or have a BMA over 30 then can they also deny employment to you based on increase risk of higher healthcare costs?

What if employers take it a step further and start screening our DNA and our gentic propensity towards certain diseases, denying employment based on what helathcare we might need many years down the line?

 

[Rt1Rebel]

In past years, my company BCBS insurance lumped vaping in with smoking, but the verbiage was buried pretty deep in the policy, so I lied about it and would have claimed that I didn't know if I got called out on it. I'm about to complete the re-enrollment, I've scanned the policy and did not notice vaping being mentioned at all, so hopefully for next year, the policy has been changed, I'll know for sure in a few weeks.

 

[sofarsogood]

The company I've worked for for the past 3 years was just acquired and that put me in another insurance plan. I was not asked about tobacco or vaping three years ago nor recently. I'm allowed to vape on the shop floor (50,000 square feet, 30' ceiling). There are several of us who vape and nobody seems to care. I'm in Michigan if that matters.