HUMAN RESOURCES

A $50 tobacco surcharge is assessed only on medical plans and only impacts enrolled employees 1) who use tobacco products and/or who have a spouse or dependent child who use tobacco products; or 2) those who do not opt-out of the Tobacco Surcharge Program.  It is not applicable to dental or vision coverage.

Tobacco use contributes to chronic and serious diseases, such as heart disease, hypertension and cancer, which results in increased health care costs for the covered individuals in the Northwestern medical plans.  The purpose of the program is to provide an incentive for tobacco users to start the process of quitting.  The surcharge collected is used to offset the cost of tobacco use for non-tobacco users enrolled in the medical plans.

If you and all of your covered family members are non-tobacco users and you didn't change your Tobacco Surcharge Program (TSP) attestation during Open Enrollment or when newly enrolling in medical coverage, you can submit a change to your TSP attestation through myHR. This update will take effect on the first of the month following the date the change is submitted.  Surcharges that have been applied to faculty and staff paychecks due to their failure to attest will not be refunded unless they participate in a tobacco cessation program or other acceptable alternative means of compliance.  See the Is there any other way to avoid the tobacco surcharge? Q&A below for more details. 

A plan participant who has used any tobacco products within the last six (6) months. This does not include tobacco use for religious or ceremonial purposes.

Tobacco includes any product made with or derived from tobacco that is intended for human consumption. This includes but is not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, e-cigarettes containing nicotine, smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, or any other product that contains tobacco), and any other smoking devices that use tobacco (e.g. hookahs).

Tobacco use is considered the use of any tobacco product within the last six (6) months.  Tobacco use for religious or ceremonial purposes is not included in the definition of tobacco use.  This includes but is not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, e-cigarettes containing nicotine, smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, or any other product that contains tobacco), and any other smoking devices that use tobacco (e.g. hookahs).

No. The surcharge does not apply to dental or vision plans.  The surcharge will only apply to the medical plans.

Your medical plan is committed to helping you achieve your best health. All employees may be able to avoid the tobacco surcharge, even those who currently use tobacco products. See this flyer or contact BCBSIL at the 800- number on the back of your ID card to learn more about BCBSIL’s tobacco cessation program. Contact askHR at 847-491-4700 about how to earn the full reward (i.e., avoid the tobacco surcharge for the full plan year) upon completion of the cessation program. Alternatively, contact askHR at 847-491-4700 and we will work with you and your doctor to find a program that will enable you to earn the full reward (i.e., avoid the tobacco surcharge for the full plan year) in light of your, and/or your dependents’, circumstances.

Yes. The surcharge applies if one or more covered individuals have used tobacco products in the last six (6) months.

No. You will only be charged the $50 surcharge once per month, regardless of how many family members use tobacco products.

Yes. The tobacco use surcharge applies whether your covered dependents live with you or not.

If you and/or a covered family member is currently a tobacco user, but in the future stops using tobacco products, you can request to have the tobacco use surcharge removed via myHR once you or your covered family member are tobacco free for at least six (6) months. If one or more covered individuals uses tobacco products, the surcharge is applied.

If you and/or a covered family member begins using tobacco, you must update your tobacco user attestation in myHR. Your tobacco use surcharge will then begin to be collected from your future pay.

The definition of a tobacco user is someone who has used any tobacco product within the last six (6) months of the start of the plan or the time of enrollment.  Once you or a covered dependent are tobacco free for a minimum of six (6) months, you can change your attestation in myHR.

Yes, the health plan offers a cessation program.  BCBSIL's tobacco cessation programs consist of methods to help you learn to quit smoking, with one-on-one coaching and innovative lessons developed using the most current academic and medical research.  See flyer for more information.

Sign up for the Tobacco Cessation Program in the Well onTarget Portal at wellontarget.com. Or call 877-806-9380.

Information collected via the Tobacco Surcharge Program (TSP) is only used by the Office of Human Resources for the payroll deduction of the tobacco surcharge. The University respects individual privacy and has designed the TSP process to safeguard individual information. Information access will be limited to only those individuals involved in benefits administration and payroll processing. The assessment of the surcharge does not exclusively indicate someone is a tobacco user since those who chose not to update their attestation as non-tobacco users also receive the surcharge. Managers, supervisors, and other campus administrators will not receive individually identifiable reporting on the TSP.

There are no HIPAA privacy requirements related to tobacco usage and tobacco use status is not protected health information (PHI).  The Affordable Care Act (ACA) permits premium differentials based upon tobacco use.

The surcharge collected is used to offset the cost of tobacco use for non-tobacco users enrolled in the medical plans.

If you are currently being treated by a physician for a medical condition (e.g., nicotine addiction), and the physician has advised that you not change your tobacco use, then you may certify as a non-tobacco user in myHR.