New Tobacco Testing Process for Employees Offers Rewards

Published in Dome - September 2016

Actively supporting a healthy workforce is one of the goals of the people priority, as outlined in Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Strategic Plan. To that end, the Johns Hopkins Health System will reward employees who don’t use tobacco and will continue to offer resources for those who wish to quit.

During the annual open enrollment period this fall, Johns Hopkins employees who enroll in health care benefits through the various Johns Hopkins participating health care providers—EHP, CareFirst and Kaiser—may voluntarily agree to be tested for tobacco. Employees who test negative for tobacco will receive a $20-per-paycheck reduction on their premium for health benefits in the 2017 calendar year. Employees enrolling in health care benefits who do not wish to receive the reduction do not need to participate in tobacco testing. There will also be options to receive the premium reduction for employees who wish to stop using tobacco.

Participating entities include The Johns Hopkins Hospital, The Johns Hopkins Health System Corporation, Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, Johns Hopkins HealthCare, Johns Hopkins Home Care Group, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Suburban Hospital, Sibley Memorial Hospital and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.