Tobacco use surcharge

About the tobacco use premium surcharge

You will be charged a monthly $25 tobacco use premium surcharge in addition to your monthly medical plan premium if you or any dependent (age 13 and older) who is enrolled on your SEBB medical account uses a tobacco product.

You do not have to pay this surcharge if you attest that:

• Neither you nor any of your enrolled dependents age 13 and older use tobacco products.
• You and all your dependents who are tobacco users age 18 and older are enrolled in your SEBB medical plan’s tobacco cessation program. Tobacco users age 13 to 17 are considered enrolled in a tobacco cessation program if they access information and resources in Smokefree Teen.

Enrolled dependents age 12 and younger are automatically defaulted as nontobacco users.

If your situation changes, you can later attest to the change. If you attest that you and your dependents have stopped using tobacco, your premium surcharge would be dropped.

We’ll post more details about how to attest nearer to open enrollment in fall 2019.

What is tobacco use?

Tobacco use means any use of tobacco products within the past two months. Tobacco use, however, does not include the religious or ceremonial use of tobacco.

What are tobacco products?

Tobacco products means any product made with or derived from tobacco that is intended for human consumption, including any component, part, or accessory of a tobacco product. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Cigars
• Cigarettes
• Pipe tobacco
• Chewing tobacco
• Snuff
• Other tobacco products

It does not include:

• E-cigarettes
• United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved quit aids

How do I attest?

More details about how to attest will be available closer to open enrollment in fall 2019.

What happens if I do not attest?

You will be charged the monthly $25 premium surcharge, in addition to your monthly medical plan premium.