Smokers burn hole in health insurance
According to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information in the US, workers who smoke are absent from work 2.3 more days each year than their non-smoking co-workers.
Another detail found in the 2005 study in
Taiwan was that increased sick leave costs due to passive smoking were approximately $81 million (Dh297 million). Potential costs incurred from occupational injuries among smoking employees were estimated to be $34 million
(Dh124 million).
Dubai-based pulmonologist Dr Elie Abdullah said: “I certainly see more smokers in my office than non-smokers. Smoking increases the susceptibility to respiratory infections by decreasing the airways’ capacity to control infectious organisms, be it viruses or bacteria.
“It is a well known medical fact that smokers with COPD (chronic obstructive lung disease, a disease caused mainly by smoking) have their airways colonised with bacteria which puts them at higher risk for lower respiratory tract infections. The results of the study you mentioned above come to me as no surprise.”
Now, considering most companies in the UAE pay to cover health insurance costs for employees, this also means financial loss.
Based on information from self-insured employers, the Ohio State University study estimates medical costs for smokers are $2,056 (Dh7,551) more than for non-smoking employees. ■