Companies such as PepsiCo ( smokers pay $600 a year more unless they complete an antismoking program ), Home Depot ( smokers pay $20 more a month ) and General Mills are among the companies who defend the decision to charge higher premiums. Workers of Wal-Mart who want to enrol in some of the company’s more generous plans have to pay a $2,000 surcharge if they smoke. Benefits experts consider this amount much higher than a few hundred dollars a year imposed by other employers. To qualify for lower health care premiums, Wal-Mart requires workers to have stopped smoking. The company has more than 1 million workers and started offering an anti-smoking programme this year. Wal-Mart says more than 13,000 workers have signed up. Some critics say Wal-Mart’s surcharge may have the effect of forcing people to opt for less expensive plans or to drop health care coverage altogether, which will endanger those whose health is already at risk. The only way for these workers to avoid this surcharge is to have a medical attestation saying that it is medically inadvisable or impossible to quit smoking.