Does the Employee or Employer Pay for a Tuberculosis Test?

Tuberculosis, a disease spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, has bedeviled humans for centuries. Until the creation of antibiotics, many people died from this disease. Tuberculosis is a health hazard and an outbreak in a workplace is a serious issue.

Tests

• A tuberculin Skin Test, sometimes called TST or PPD, is used to screen for infection. In a TST test, some dead tuberculosis is injected into the arm and a few days later a doctor checks to see if a hard knot has formed. If it has, the body has previously been exposed to tuberculosis.

Who Pays?

• Tuberculosis is considered a public health risk. For this reason, in most states neither the employer nor the employee pays for the testing but instead funds come from worker compensation benefits. A small donation or co-pay may be requested but no one is denied service if they cannot pay.

Considerations

• Some jobs, such as many in the medical care profession, require annual risk assessments of tuberculosis, and for employees to give a history of exposure. An employee may not be fired (or not hired) based on tuberculosis infection or exposure, but they may be put on a medical exclusion from work until they no longer pose a risk to others.