To lower health insurance costs and encourage employee wellness, many employers are refusing to hire smokers. Baylor Health Care Systems in Texas no longer hires smokers, made its facilities smoke free, and imposes a health insurance surcharge on employees who smoke. The Cleveland Clinic also will not hire smokers. Years ago, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the right of Florida sheriff's departments to discriminate against smokers. Tobacco is addictive and can be attributable to 450,000 deaths per year. In twenty-one states, it is lawful for employers to refuse to hire smokers. They include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Washington.
1. Do you think employers should be permitted to discriminate against smokers during the recruitment process? Is it fair to ask incumbent employees who smoke to pay more for health insurance?
2. Research smoker cessation plans. Do you think it is an employer’s responsibility to offer them? Explain your positions.