What is a tobacco/nicotine surcharge and how much does it cost?
A tobacco/nicotine surcharge is an extra charge on medical premiums for employees that are tobacco/nicotine users. The City of Tulsa will charge an additional $600 annually ($23.08 per pay period) if you are a tobacco/nicotine user. The surcharge for medical coverage will begin on January 1, 2024. Plan members will need to attest their tobacco/nicotine status during Open Enrollment October 16th through the 27th. Plan members who are tobacco/nicotine users can avoid a surcharge if they want to try to quit by participating in Tobacco/Nicotine Cessation programs.

What does the City of Tulsa consider a tobacco/nicotine user? / How is “tobacco/nicotine use” defined for purpose of the tobacco/nicotine surcharge?
The City of Tulsa considers you a tobacco/nicotine user if you have used tobacco/nicotine products in the past three months. Tobacco/nicotine products are defined as any tobacco/nicotine product, including cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, vapor products, chewing tobacco, snuff, and pipe tobacco.

If you have completed a tobacco/nicotine cessation program you must submit proof of completion to insurance@cityoftulsa.org  and you can consider yourself a non-tobacco/nicotine user.

Why does the City of Tulsa charge more for tobacco/nicotine users? 
The City of Tulsa cares about your health and the health of your family. We hope that the tobacco/nicotine surcharge brings additional attention to the harmful effects of tobacco/nicotine use on the health of our employees and their families. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC, smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causing many diseases and affecting the general health of smokers.  

Tobacco/nicotine users have increased lifetime medical expenses and are absent from work more days than those who are not tobacco/nicotine users. The City of Tulsa is asking tobacco/nicotine users to pay more for the cost of medical coverage to offset greater healthcare costs associated with tobacco/nicotine use. We recognize that support can help you quit, which is why the City provides information on programs and resources to help you quit tobacco/nicotine at no cost to you.

Who does the tobacco/nicotine surcharge apply to?
The tobacco/nicotine surcharge applies to City of Tulsa non-sworn employees enrolled in the medical plan. 

How do I declare my tobacco/nicotine status?   
Upon being hired, during certain life events and during open enrollment, employees enrolling for the medical plan will be required to complete a tobacco/nicotine usage question attesting to their tobacco/nicotine use status.  

Any misrepresentation or inaction by the employee referencing their tobacco/nicotine status is a serious violation of City policy and could lead to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

Will I need to pay the tobacco/nicotine surcharge if I smoke and only want to enroll in dental and/or vision?
No, the surcharge applies only to those who enroll in the medical plan.

What if I say I don’t use tobacco/nicotine products, but I do?
As with other aspects of your employment relationship with the City of Tulsa, providing false information could be subject to disciplinary actions, up to and including termination of employment or benefits.

What if I am not a tobacco/nicotine user, do I still need to complete the questionnaire?
If you enroll in a City of Tulsa medical plan, you need to act and complete the questionnaire as a new hire, as a result of a qualifying life event, and during annual enrollment each year. If you do not act, the City of Tulsa will assume you are a tobacco/nicotine user, and the surcharge will apply.

Does the City of Tulsa provide services to help me quit?
The City provides information on free cessation programs for all members.

• Under the medical plan, cessation products such as gums, patches, and prescription medication to stop tobacco/nicotine use are available at no cost to you with a prescription from your physician. You can call CommunityCare directly with specific questions at 918-594-4006.
• Saint Francis offers a tobacco/nicotine cessation program for a nominal cost that will be reimbursed upon completion of the program. You can call 918-494-8263 to find out more about the program.

-Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline will provide you with free tools and support so you can customize your quit experience. From free text and email support, phone, and web coaching, and at least a FREE two-week supply of nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges. You can call the helpline at 1-800-784-8669 to enroll online or text READY to 34191, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Any Oklahoman who is 18 or older and has not already accessed Helpline services twice in the last calendar year may apply.

If there is another tobacco/nicotine cessation program you would like to participate in, please contact the insurance team for approval of the program at insurance@cityoftulsa.org.

Starting in January 2024, non-sworn employees who are enrolled in the City of Tulsa Benefit Plans will incur an annual spouse surcharge of $1,800 ($69.23 per pay period) if their spouse has access to healthcare benefits through their employer but chooses to enroll through the City of Tulsa plan.  

What is a spouse premium surcharge?
The spouse premium surcharge is a monthly charge in addition to your regular medical coverage contribution/premium for a spouse who is working and who is eligible for medical coverage through their employer and is covered on the City of Tulsa medical plan..

How much will it cost?
The spouse premium surcharge will be $69.23 per pay period

Is the surcharge deducted before or after income taxes?
The surcharge is a “pre-tax” deduction like your medical premiums.

Why is the City of Tulsa implementing a spouse premium surcharge?
The spouse premium surcharge encourages those participants eligible for other group insurance to take advantage of that coverage. It allows the City of Tulsa to keep our medical plans more affordable. A spousal premium surcharge is a method adopted by many large employers.

Who pays the spouse premium surcharge?
It applies to all active employees whose spouse is a dependent on a City of Tulsa medical plan unless one of the following conditions applies:

• Your spouse is not employed and does not have access to other medical coverage.
• Your spouse is self-employed without access to other medical coverage. 
• Your spouse is employed, but his or her employer does not offer medical coverage or is not eligible for medical coverage by his or her employer.  

(Note: The Marketplace, Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare are not considered other employer group health plans.)  

How will the City of Tulsa know if my spouse has other medical coverage available?
During open enrollment the employee will attest to spouse having access to other coverage or not having access to other coverage. If your spouse has access to medical coverage through their employer, they are subject to a monthly spouse surcharge if you enroll them for City of Tulsa medical coverage. If your spouse does not work, works part time with no access to medical benefits, is not eligible for coverage, has lost coverage as an active employee but has been offered COBRA or is covered by Medicare, the surcharge does not apply.

Note: The company reserves the right to verify if your spouse is provided coverage elsewhere. This information must be consistent with the information you report. Misrepresenting whether your spouse has access to medical coverage may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

What if I submit documentation later in the plan year that my spouse did not have access to medical coverage through his/her employer?
The spouse premium surcharge will be removed as soon as administratively possible upon receiving the supporting documentation. We will not retroactively reimburse for amounts already paid.

Does the spouse premium surcharge apply to the dental or vision plans?
No, it only applies to the City of Tulsa non-sworn medical plans. 

Does the City of Tulsa have a right under data privacy to ask if the spouse is eligible for insurance coverage from another company?
Yes, an employer has a right to inquire about a spouse’s other insurance coverage. Data privacy involves health information specific to an individual’s medical condition or treatment.

If my spouse was offered medical coverage through his/her employer, but the open enrollment window is different from the City of Tulsa, and he/she opted out at the time of open enrollment or the initial offer and isn’t offered coverage access until the next annual enrollment, does the spouse premium surcharge apply?
Yes, the spouse premium surcharge applies if an individual is offered healthcare coverage at any capacity and opts out of that coverage for the City of Tulsa medical benefits plan.

(The spouse should check with their employer regarding whether their employer will allow him/her to enroll in their health coverage within 31 days of the spouse surcharge change.)  

If a spouse is newly employed during the plan year and becomes eligible for benefits elsewhere, would the spouse premium surcharge be applied at that time?
Yes, if your spouse becomes eligible for a medical plan at their employer, and you choose to keep your spouse covered under the City of Tulsa medical plan, you will need to update your spouse information online at https://compass.empyreanbenefits.com/COT to add the surcharge.