3 creative ways insurers entice members to get healthy
Insurers are stepping up their game when it comes to attracting new members through wellness programs and healthy incentives. Take, for instance, Anthem, Humana and UnitedHealth's latest venture of partnering with local grocery stores to create special member programs that provide discounts of up to 10 percent on certain healthy foods.
In a very consumer-oriented and competitive industry, insurers need to find ways to personalize the wellness experience for their members, reported HealthcareDIVE. Here are three ways insurers drive engagement through creative innovation, according to the article.
Eating well
Along the same lines as the aforementioned insurers, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care uses the NutriSavings program. This lets members scan their groceries with a mobile app that provides a health score for each item and provides a total health score at checkout. Members can receive up to $20 a month for both participating in the program and earning high health scores. Ultimately, this help members make smarter, healthier decisions while grocery shopping.
Feeling the burn
To entice members to work out, some insurers align deductibles with gym sessions. Pact Health, for example, offers members the chance to either gain or lose $5 from their deductible depending on whether they attend or miss a workout, according to HealthcareDIVE. The program measures attendance through a phone GPS or a fitness device. The company noted that, for members, the risk of losing money offers an incentive to work out.
Tracking activity
Fitness-tracking devices rank among the latest crazes, and insurers are looking for ways to incorporate the devices into their plans. As of Jan. 1, New York-based Oscar Health is giving members a free Misfit Flash to help measure and increase physical activity. The goal of the device is to motivate members to start at 2,000 steps a day and later up that goal to 10,000 steps. If members meet their goal, the insurer dishes out $1 in Amazon credit per day, according to HealthcareDIVE. Additionally, Oscar provides complimentary telemedicine visits with physicians.
For more
- here's the HealthcareDIVE article
Related Articles:
Anthem, Humana, UnitedHealth partner with grocery stores to keep members healthy
Oscar Health to give members free, wearable fitness tracker
Humana bets on 'lifestyle medicine' to help reduce chronic conditions
Why wellness programs should use positive incentives instead of negative consequences
Help payers, employees and members set wellness resolutions for 2015
Comments