Pennsylvania is one of 19 states which allow employers to screen job applicants for signs of smoking, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

Following the lead of the Cleveland Clinic in 2007 to create a smoke free campus the Geisinger Health System, a facility located in the eastern town of Danville, PA., will institute its no-nicotine policy on February 1, 2012.

Gary Burtless, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, said the measures are commonly adopted to reduce future health-care costs.
He said “there is no denying” the subsequent drop in cost, pointing to a 2003 study that revealed a range of between $500-$2,200 in additional annual medical expenses for smokers when compared to non-smokers.
Dr. Steven Bernstein, a professor at Yale University, added that smokers are also likely to take breaks more often, reducing hours worked.