John Hancock Insurance will pay policyholders for eating well, the insurance company announced Wednesday.
Through the new HealthyFood program, policyholders who make healthy eating choices can earn discounts or cash back on their grocery bills at participating supermarkets, John Hancock says. The HealthyFood program is a new addition to the Vitality program announced a year ago. Participation in the Vitality program can lead to discounts on annual premiums of up to 15 percent.
The Vitality program is designed to connect long-term health to financial well-being, John Hancock says. The program provides savings and rewards to policyholders who complete health-related activities like exercising, getting an annual health screening or receiving a flu shot. Individuals can track their physical activity with smartphone apps and devices like the Apple Watch and Fitbit.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen our customers embrace the John Hancock Vitality program. In fact, our policyholders are taking an average of 9,205 steps per day, compared to the average U.S. adult, who takes an average of 5,900 daily steps,” says Michael Doughty, president, John Hancock Insurance. “But fitness without good nutrition is not nearly as impactful on your health as when you combine the two.”
Similar programs abroad have been successful in influencing consumers to choose healthier foods. In South Africa, where the HealthyFood benefit was developed by Discovery Insurance, research has shown that offering cash back can change consumer purchasing behaviors. When offered discounts of 10 percent and 25 percent for buying healthy foods, consumers increased the amount of money they spent on healthy food, increased the amount of fruits and vegetables they bought and decreased the amount of less-healthy foods purchased, John Hancock says.