Naples (FL) council hears proposal to ban hiring smokers

[The Straight Story]

Naples council hears proposal to ban hiring smokers

NAPLES — Want to apply for a job with the city of Naples?

Soon you may have to stub out your cigarette before sending in your application.

A ban on hiring smokers was one proposal considered by the Naples City Council on Monday during a discussion about possible changes to employee health benefits.

The proposed changes, which council is expected to discuss further during budget discussions in the fall, include changes to copays, out-of-network deductibles and prescription costs. But perhaps the biggest change could be the recommendation to institute a hiring ban on smokers.

That recommendation could reduce health care costs in the longer term, increase productivity and decrease absenteeism, the city’s risk manager Lori Parsons said in a memo to council. The suggestion to adopt a hiring ban on smokers could be done instead of instituting a smoker premium differential, she wrote.

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/may/18/naples-council-proposes-ban-hiring-smokers/