What does it take for an Ivy League school to offer its employees a benefit that could decrease their healthcare spend while increase the health and wellness of its employees?  Seems to make sense perfect sense that an Ivy League school would have comparable benefits for the very people who make the school what it is known for today.

Recently an article was written in the Yale Daily News, stating that Yale falls short in helping its employees become tobacco free.  While the employee handbook says a program exists, the pilot program that lasted for six months has not been renewed. Today if employees reach out to Yale's University Health Services, they may receive informational resources, but not much else. Other Ivy League colleges such as Princeton and Harvard have implemented programs to help employees become tobacco free.  Why hasn’t Yale?

Speculation says that Yale, like many employers, hasn’t seen the value of offering a comprehensive tobacco cessation program.  The CDC states that an average tobacco user costs an employer $5,455 per year in excess medical and productivity costs.  If the average cost for an employee to enroll in a comprehensive program (including phone based counseling and medication) is between $300-400, then is $5,455 per year savings not enough value? 

Or maybe Yale truly believes that tobacco use and cessation is the responsibility of the employee and not the employer.  Is Yale immune to rising healthcare spend?  If tobacco use is the #1 cause of preventable death in the U.S. per the CDC and the majority of employees who were interviewed for the article estimated “that around half of their coworkers are smokers,” then my guess is that Yale’s healthcare costs have been rising due to the diseases associated with its employees’ tobacco use and the non-tobacco users who are recipients of second-hand smoke and its related negative health impact.  I think if Yale wants to control its costs, then tobacco cessation is its responsibility.

The article states that Yale's director of University Health Services "expressed hope" that one day a comprehensive program would be offered. It's our hope too.

Employers have a choice in what benefits to offer its employees.  Isn’t controlling healthcare spend by offering a program with a positive ROI, providing resources to increase the health and wellness of its employees and living up to its reputation enough to make the decision to offer a comprehensive tobacco cessation program?