Bill Would Ban $50-a-Month Surcharge on Tobacco Users

BY JEFF AMY
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. — House members may block Mississippi’s state employee health insurance plan from surcharging tobacco users.

The House Appropriations Committee Thursday passed House Bill 873. Having already passed the Insurance Committee, it moves to the full House for more debate.

The State and School Employees Health Insurance Management Board voted last year to impose a $50 a month fee on employees who use tobacco and refuse to go through a tobacco cessation program beginning in July.

Rep. John Moore, a Brandon Republican and a smoker who is covered by state insurance, says the issue goes beyond tobacco use. He warns that the insurance board could unfairly impose higher premiums on other classes, such as obese people or people with cancer.

State Insurance Administrator Richard Self says the program aims to improve health.