Richie Waves

Tribune Co earned the scorn of its smoking employees when it decided to charge them $100 more than their non-smoking brethren for health insurance. That was before Sam Zell took over, however. Here’s the memo that went out to employees today.

Since the closing of the going-private transaction last December, we’ve been reviewing policies and practices across the company, including Tribune’s healthcare benefits. While well-intentioned, we think the tobacco-use fee implemented by the previous management team is inconsistent with the new culture we’re developing-we’d rather you use your own judgment when it comes to tobacco use, not impose ours upon you.

This policy was a part of open enrollment last fall and took effect January 1, 2008. I’m pleased to tell you that we’re eliminating this fee effective April 28th.

· If you successfully participated in the smoking cessation program, have quit and been reimbursed for all fees, then congratulations are in order. Quitting is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do.

· If you’re still being charged the fee, it will stop and Tribune will reimburse you 100 percent for the fees you have paid. This reimbursement will occur in late May.

Tribune will continue to offer the smoking cessation program free of charge to all employees and their covered dependents age 18 and older.

The spousal medical fee, implemented at the same time, will remain in place. We believe that if an employee’s spouse has access to coverage through his/her employer, that employer has the primary responsibility to bear the cost of coverage. Our obligation is to take care of our own employees, first and foremost.

If you have questions about the tobacco use fee, contact the Tribune Benefits Service Center at 800/872-2222.

Thanks.

Gerry

MediaFile » Blog Archive » Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em at Tribune | Blogs | Reuters.com

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Sarah Nerd

I've watched smoking kill a few people. It's god awful, but it's peoples own business I guess.

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Ayu Sura

I'm guessing the justification is that it costs them in healthcare costs in the long run. But then as my coworker asked, will they start charging you for not using the gym? For eating McDonalds?

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Asher Bertrand

Compare and contrast:

My company does the $150-a-month smoker surcharge. All that did was create a new class of liar. No one 'fessed up, I don't think, even though the same ones always take smoke breaks.

Stupid.

Let's charge the heterosexuals more per month because they might spawn. Let's make the old ones pay more because, well, they're old. Let's make the young ones pay more because they're reckless. Meh. Greed. Greed on the part of the insurance and medical industries. Companies are coping with the rising costs best they can - sometimes making dumb decisions as they do.

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Richie Waves

A line in the sand, Smoking is never EVER going to go away.

Dnate Mars

Um, I hate to tell you, but that is already in place. But it is based on BMI.

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Brenda Archer

Just another reason we need universal health care and to shove the insurance companies out of their privileged position. I still think society as a whole would save more money in the long run making sure the people who are likely to get sick are covered. I'm all in favor of stop smoking programs - but they really need to be under medical supervision. Same with weight loss, etc.

Sarah Nerd

Sarah Nerd

I'm not a fan of cigarettes, but I am a fan of food thats not good for me. If they start charging more for unhealthy behavior were all fucked. Whats next, higher rates if your sexually active with more than one person?

Brenda Archer

I'm just glad that I seem to have survived the uninsurable period following my cancer. But it sure would have been nice to have had care during that time, since my health is gradually collapsing without it.

Of course the whole time I've been working, too. But I suppose that if it became politically incorrect to deny care because of something like cancer, if they demonize overweight people enough, they could start denying care because of that - which makes no sense.

Or maybe dealing with the system has made me permanently afraid of it, not without cause I think. You're screwed if you're not insured and if you are good luck getting them to pay.

WarKirby Magojiro

It's reading things like this that make me happy to live in a welfare state, and not mind our atrocious fuel costs.

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Brenda Archer

Thank you, that means a lot. I hope we will wake up soon.

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Aodhan McDunnough

Smoking is a person's own choice. For as long as a non-smoker like myself does not have to deal with that smoke wafting into his face, I'm fine.

So I say keep enclosed spaces smoke-free, it's easy to take a smoke outside, clear your breath and lungs then come back in.

It has been found that there is no safe level of second-hand smoke. So smokers had better think about their friends, spouses, and most of all, their children who have to breathe the air they exhale.