Wellness Department -
Tobacco Cessation Programs & Premium Waiver
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The Tobacco-User Additional Premium applies to all employees and spouses/same-sex domestic partners covered by a Purdue employee medical plan who are tobacco users and have not completed an approved tobacco cessation program.
To avoid the addition premium in 2013, employees must have certified during benefits open enrollment that they have been a non-tobacco users for the 12 months immediately prior to completing their enrollment or that they were a tobacco user who had completed an approved tobacco cessation program between September 1 - November 16, 2012.
How to get a Partial Waiver on Tobacco-User Additional Premium:
If you complete an approved cessation program by one of the dates below, your additional premium will be waived on all pay you receive in 2013 on or after the listed waiver date.
- Complete by February 28, 2013 to qualify for waiver beginning on April 1, 2013.
- Complete by May 30, 2013 to qualify for waiver beginning on July 1, 2013.
- Complete by August 31, 2013 to qualify for waiver beginning on October 1, 2013.
When you have been a non-tobacco user for at least 12 months, complete the Tobacco User Certification Form and submit it to: Human Resources, Purdue University, Freehafer Hall (401 South Grant Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907). Your additional premium will be waived on Purdue pays you receive during the rest of the calendar year, after allowing appropriate time for processing of your waiver.
For more information about the additional premium, visit the tobacco-user additional premium frequently asked questions page.
To help people along the journey to become a nonsmoker, the first three classes offer tips and techniques that prepare participants to quit smoking and the last three classes offer support. Sessions focus on thinking about quitting, relaxation, wanting to quit, quit day, winning strategies, the new you and saying quit. You must enroll in and complete this in-person program by attending at least five of the seven classes in the program.
Quit Today* - Online Option
This online program is designed to help participants get and stay tobacco free. You must complete the program through step 6. Each step is programmed so that you must wait a minimum of seven days between one step and the next. *Special Notice: If you have completed this program before and wish to do it again, please see the special instructions inside the online registration system for "resetting the program".
- Available to employees and spouses/same-sex domestic partners at all campuses who are covered by a CIGNA medical option through Purdue.
- Log into the Worklife Programs registration system to register for the program.
Indiana Tobacco Quitline* - Phone Option
The Indiana Tobacco Quitline is available seven days a week. This program is provided by the state Department of Health, and it is available to all residents of Indiana. If you call from a number outside of Indiana, you will be connected to a Quitline for that location. *Special Notice: This program can only be completed once per year. If you have already completed this program, please select another option.
If you take part in a tobacco cessation program through other campus resources, hospitals or community organizations, you may qualify for waiver of the tobacco-user surcharge, depending on the specifics of the offering.
Before taking part, contact Employee Wellness at (219) 785-5519 to review the details of the offering and find out if completion of the program will qualify you for the surcharge waiver. If the program qualifies, Employee Wellness will provide you with a Community Alternative form that you must have signed by the community program's representative when you have finished the program.
Approved Local Community Alternatives:
IU Health LaPorte Hospital (one-on-one intrinsic coaching):
- Six sessions, one hour each, offering a unique approach to quitting tobacco use.
- $75 per person
- For more information or to register, call the Wellness Center at The Crossings at (219) 326-2480 or (800) 325-6204, ext. 2480.
Medical Alternatives
If you are unable to participate in a traditional program due to a medical condition, contact Employee Wellness at (219) 785-5519 to develop an alternative way to qualify for waiver of the tobacco-user premium.
For all Purdue health plans, the items listed below are covered 100 percent with no copay. You're allowed up to a 180-day supply each year.
Over-the-counter items:
- Nicotine gum
- Nicotine lozenge
- Nicotine transdermal patch
Prescriptions:
- Chantix tabs, dose packs
- Nicotine nasal spray
- Nicotine inhalation
- Bupropion 150 mg SR/Zyban 150mg
To get these products, take a physician's prescription to your retail pharmacy.
Office visits only related to tobacco cessation are covered at 100 percent in-network for all Purdue medical plans. Make sure to tell your health care provider that the visit is to discuss tobacco cessation and to code it accordingly.
For questions about benefits, call (219) 785-5301 or visit the Benefits website.
Purdue North Central's smoke-free policy is designed to support a healthy campus and limit exposure to secondhand smoke, which has been determined unsafe at any level according to the EPA. As of November 15, 2007, smoking is no longer permitted on campus.
