Aetna Will Pay You to Be Healthy in New Apple Watch Rewards Program

Health insurance firm Aetna has teamed up with Apple to launch a new wellness rewards program powered by the Apple Watch.

The program is called Attain, and it’s described as a “unique health experience.” Basically, it’s a new app that uses data collected from an Apple Watch to give Aetna a glimpse into a user’s health. The health insurance provider will then reward users for healthy behavior and living.

“Through the use of an Apple Watch, the Attain app will provide Aetna members personalized goals, track their daily activity levels, recommend healthy actions, and ultimately reward them for taking these actions to improve their well-being,” Aetna wrote in a press release.

• Those weekly goals will be based on age, sex and weight.
• They also won’t be limited to simple step tracking — Aetna says they’ll also include fitness activities such as yoga and swimming.
• The Attain app will also feature challenges based on mindfulness and improving sleep and nutrition.

All of this is done on an opt-in basis, and both firms are stressing the fact that all of this data is collected securely in a privacy-conscious manner. Reportedly, data will be encrypted in compliance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards.

In addition, none of the data collected through the program will be used for underwriting, premium or coverage decisions.

Some of the data — like getting a flu shot and visiting a physician regularly — may also come from an Aetna member’s past health history, and not just data collected by an Apple Watch.

As a reward, Aetna members will have the option of accumulating points in an easy-to-understand system. Those points can be traded in for gift cards or as a credit toward the cost of the Apple Watch used in the program.

The collaboration between the two firms stems from Aetna’s past experience with the Apple Watch. Reportedly, Aetna and Apple found that 90 percent of participants in the program reported a health benefit from the flagship wearable.

Users also have the option to share insights and data with Apple, who will undoubtedly use that information to improve its own health initiatives.

While Aetna officially announced the Attain program today, the insurance provider noted that the actual Attain app for iOS will be coming this spring.