January 3, 2012   Geisinger Health System announced last week it will no longer hire people who test positive for nicotine. Starting Feb. 1, those who smoke cigarettes and cigars or use any form of smokeless tobacco need not apply. The move narrows the job prospects of many in northcentral Pennsylvania, where Geisinger employs 15,000 and hired nearly 3,000 last year. Geisinger cited assorted motives, including setting a strong anti-tobacco example and creating a healthier environment for patients and employees. But it acknowledged that reducing employee health care costs — tobacco is a huge contributor to illness — is another goal. Virtually all employers who provide health benefits share that goal, so others might well follow Geisinger’s lead.

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