Tobacco Cessation wellness program guides individuals through quitting tobacco

For those who use tobacco products and are ready quit or are thinking about quitting, the upcoming Tobacco Cessation Healthy Boiler wellness program will be held from noon to 1 p.m. virtually on Thursdays from Dec. 1 to Jan. 19 to teach helpful strategies.

The class will meet for six weeks: three weeks in December (two weeks off for the holidays) and three weeks in January, which allows participants to meet the March 31 deadline to waive the 2023 tobacco-user additional premium. This program supports the physical health and financial wellness pillars of the Healthy Boiler Program.

“Quitting nicotine products greatly reduces the risk of developing smoking-related diseases,” said Lindsay Bloom, a health coach at Purdue Fort Wayne and a workshop presenter.

Those interested should register by Nov. 23 via the Healthy Boiler Portal. The registration link can be found under the “Healthy Boiler Workshops” section on the portal’s home page. Hover over the “Tobacco Cessation” square and hit “Submit” to register. Healthy Boiler workshops are free to all benefits-eligible faculty and staff and dependents covered on a Purdue medical plan.

Attending this workshop will count as an approved tobacco cessation program, resulting in a waiver of the 2023 tobacco-user additional premium if the completed program certificate is submitted by March 31, 2023. See information below for details.

Tobacco-user additional premium information *   

Aside from the health benefits resulting from not smoking, there are also financial benefits, including a waiver of the tobacco-user additional premium on an employee’s benefits premium. As a reminder, employees (and their spouse, if covered) who certify as tobacco users (a person who has used tobacco, including cigars, cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco or any other tobacco product in the past 12 months) during open enrollment each year will pay an additional $1,000 tobacco-user premium on their medical benefits. Premiums for term life, universal life and critical illness insurance also are based in part on whether an employee (and their spouse, if covered) have used tobacco in the last 12 months, and those premiums may be impacted as well.

Completed program certificates from an approved tobacco cessation program (including this class) submitted by March 31, 2023, will waive the tobacco-user additional premium for the entire 2023 plan year. If the form is submitted after March 31, 2023, the premium will be waived for the remainder of the 2023 plan year.

For more information about the additional premium, visit the Purdue Medical Plan Tobacco-User Additional Premium: Questions and Answers webpage.

Among information available regarding overall cost savings from quitting tobacco use, Tobacco Free Kids and Smokefree.gov offer insights below:

• Tobacco Free Kids: Immediate savings by state: https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/factsheets/0337.pdf (December 2021)
• Smokefree.gov calculator: https://smokefree.gov/quit-smoking/why-you-should-quit/how-much-will-you-save

Questions

Anyone with questions about the waivers and available tobacco-cessation resources may contact Human Resources at 765-494-2222, toll free at 877-725-0222 or via email at hr@purdue.edu. Specific questions regarding the Tobacco Cessation wellness program should be directed to the Center for Healthy Living (CHL) at 765-494-0111.