WI Governor Walker vetoes his own proposal to charge state workers who use tobacco $50/month

[Bill Godshall]

WI Governor Scott Walker vetoes his own proposal to charge state workers who use tobacco products $50/month
Wis. gov vetoes tobacco surcharge | News - Channel3000.com

Walker's veto message says new federal guidance on tobacco surcharges was issued after he drew up the fee plan that would make the program too cumbersome. For example, Walker wrote, a smoker could avoid the fee by joining a cessation program.

Walker's last statement (i.e. tobacco users could simply enroll in a cessation program to avoid the extra fee) could be the death knell of Obamacare's provision allowing state healthcare insurance exchanges to charge tobacco users up to 50% higher premiums.

And after most of the impacted tobacco users sign up for cessation programs (to avoid paying higher premiums), federal health officials will soon realize what we've been telling them for a long time (i.e. NRT products and/or counseling aren't very effective for getting tobacco users to quit).