A life insurance company turns healthy habits into a game : NPR

Key Points:

• John Hancock's Vitality program incentivizes healthy behaviors among life insurance policyholders by awarding points for activities like exercise, healthy eating, and preventive screenings, which can be redeemed for discounts and gift cards.
• The program uses gamification, including prize wheels and tiered rewards, to engage customers and encourage sustained healthy habits, shifting the company's focus from death insurance to promoting longer, healthier lives.
• Early results indicate Vitality members walk twice as many steps as average Americans, and many with high blood pressure have improved their health within a year, though experts caution more evidence is needed to confirm long-term benefits.
• The program also offers financial incentives such as premium discounts up to 25%, aligning the company's profitability with customers' health improvements.
• For users like financial planner Matt Hudack, Vitality provides a positive, motivating approach to life insurance, transforming it into a tool for healthier living rather than a reminder of mortality.