A wristband tracking device.
United HealthCare of Minnetonka, Minnesota, became the latest company to reward people for exercising.
United announced last month that it was starting a wellness program in Arkansas and other states that could save both the employers money in premium and employees who wear the insurer’s device to earn up to $4 a day for their health savings accounts by hitting certain fitness goals tied to walking.
The program is being offered to companies with between 101 and 300 employees who have a fully insured health plan that has a $1,500 deductible, said Steve Beecy, vice president of United HealthCare.
United worked with Qualcomm Inc. of San Diego on the program. Dr. Jim Mault, chief medical officer for Qualcomm Life, said the proprietary device, which can be attached to clothing or worn like a wristwatch, measures not only the number of steps a person takes but the frequency and intensity of the walk.
“If you image an employee sitting in the office for eight straight hours and not getting up from their desk, it’s a health hazard,” Mault said.
And in order to get the full $4 a day, a person would have to: walk six times a day with 300 steps within five minutes, 3,000 steps within 30 minutes and have 10,000 steps at the end of the day.
“You can earn back the deductible by, frankly, making sure you’re getting up and walking around,” Beecy said.
United HealthCare has more than 326,000 members in Arkansas, which includes commercial businesses and Medicare beneficiaries.
David Roddenberry, co-founder of Healthywage of New York, said many employers are already offering some type of fitness tracking program that rewards employees who hit certain goals.
“Cash incentives are an effective motivator for behavior change,” said Roddenberry, whose company organizes incentive challenges for consumers and employers.
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