Suspended!! for smoking cigarettes outside of work

[atprm]

Workers Suspended For Lying About Smoking
POSTED: 3:14 pm EDT April 22, 2008
UPDATED: 4:57 pm EDT April 22, 2008
EVANSVILLE, Ind -- Whirlpool Corp.'s Evansville, Ind., plant has suspended 39 workers for smoking while claiming on their health insurance they were nonsmokers.

The Benton Harbor, Mich.-based company requires smokers to pay an extra $500 in insurance premiums.

Company spokeswoman Debby Castrale said the workers were seen by others smoking in designated smoking areas outside the plant.

She said Whirlpool considers falsifying company documents a very serious offense. Final disciplinary action is pending fact-finding meetings with each worker over the next few days.

Castrale says most of the suspensions were of production employees. But she says more suspensions could come, possibly including some administrative staff.

[ahippiechic]

Sounds to me that they were suspended for lying on their insurance documents, not for smoking.

[freeby4me]

Sounds to me that they were suspended for lying on their insurance documents, not for smoking.

Yup sounds like it to me.

[gmyers]

$500 extra just because you smoke is excessive to me for insurance premiums.

[atprm]

$500 extra just because you smoke is excessive to me for insurance premiums.


I completely agree.

[dv8grl]

Sounds to me that they were suspended for lying on their insurance documents, not for smoking.

You got that right.

And smokers should pay more in premiums, along with the obese. JMHO!

[suprtruckr]

along with the obese. JMHO!

and by WHOSE definition?

whenn i weighed 225lbs the drs kept telling me to lose weight, they didn't look at my arms/chest they only looked at the numbers...

and SOME diseases actually cause/accellerate obesity

[galeane29]

$500 extra just because you smoke is excessive to me for insurance premiums.

Not to me. Smokers accure alot of medical costs because of their habit. Why would'nt they have to pay more?
I'm an ex smoker for a reason.

[dv8grl]

and by WHOSE definition?

whenn i weighed 225lbs the drs kept telling me to lose weight, they didn't look at my arms/chest they only looked at the numbers...

and SOME diseases actually cause/accellerate obesity

And if you have a disease you should pay more.

[ahippiechic]

I understand about paying higher premiums because I'm a smoker, although I do think the amount listed above is extreme. But I don't think I should have to pay a higher premium because I have leukemia. That isn't caused by the choice I made to smoke.

[dv8grl]

But I don't think I should have to pay a higher premium because I have leukemia. That isn't caused by the choice I made to smoke.
I understand that... my point being that not all morbidly obese people have diseases.
But most people have these "health" problems / diseases because they are over-weight.
Look at that gut PAUL from Biggest Loser http://www.bigbigforums.com/thats-entertainment/567867-new-couples-biggest-loser-15.html


"He is really, really sick. In the past two months he's spent six weeks in the hospital. He's had ruptured diverticula and he got a colostomy, which got gangrenous. He's had [several] surgeries." The cause of that couldn't be the fact that he is 200+ pounds over-weight! WTF! ?!?!?!?!

[ahippiechic]

Ok, I thought you just meant just diseases in general, not just smoking/weight related issues.

[cpbaby]

You got that right.

And smokers should pay more in premiums, along with the obese. JMHO!



HEY! I resemble that remark! Am I obese? OH YEAH! I go to the OB/GYN once a year(UGH!) and to my family doctor once or twice a year....usually because I am sick as a dog with whatever cold the kids dragged home managed to turn into a sinus infection with me. I am WAY healthier than my perfect weight, non-smoking cousin.... Course she drinks on occasion, maybe they should charge drinkers more, too.

[gmyers]

Not to me. Smokers accure alot of medical costs because of their habit. Why would'nt they have to pay more?
I'm an ex smoker for a reason.

My husband has smoked 44 years and until the last five years he was healthy. Never even had a cold. But he does have a lot of problems now though. But he paid into the health insurance company 20 plus years and never used it till the last five years So I think he deserves to not have to pay extra amounts now.