Aetna members who don't have an Apple Watch may even obtain one through Attain. "Every day, we receive emails and letters from people all over the world who have found great benefit by incorporating Apple Watch into their lives and daily routines", Apple COO Jeff Williams said in a statement.
Called "Attain", the Apple Watch app will reward Aetna customers for meeting activity goals and fulfilling recommended tasks, such as getting vaccinations or refilling medications, with a subsidy toward the cost of an Apple Watch or gift cards for US retailers.
The Attain app is expected to be available in the Apple App Store in Spring 2019.
In collaboration with the Cupertino tech giant, Aetna has created a new Apple Watch app dubbed Attain, which offers users personalized daily and weekly activity goals based on their age, sex, and weight as well as challenges to, for instance, get more sleep, eat better, or be more mindful.
Since then, the Watch has been augmented with health-centric features such as an ECG monitor, and more private payers have integrated the wearable device into their chronic disease management and wellness programming. The more users exercise, engage in healthy activity, and get their hearts pumping, the more rewards they earn through the app. Should you fail to complete all your goals for a few months you'll be on the hook to pay part of the cost of the Apple Watch. "We're designing Attain to be personalized and clinically relevant to where each individual is in their health journey". Alternatively, you can exchange points for retailer gift cards. There'll be room for about 250,000 to 300,000 Aetna members at the start. "As we learn over time, the goal is to make more customized recommendations that will help members accomplish their goals and live healthier lives".
Health insurance providers certainly have an incentive to improve their customers' overall health, as that could reduce the number of claims they have to pay out over long term. All Attain health data is encrypted on the device, in transit, and on Aetna and Apple's servers, where it will be stored in a highly secure environment using industry-leading practices fully in compliance with United States legal standards for health information.
Apple and Aetna previously worked together on an Apple Watch-based program that the companies said resulted in positive health effects for 90 percent of users. This isn't the first partnership between a health insurance company and a wearables maker-there are plenty of corporate wellness programs involving Fitbits, and previous year UnitedHealthcare also offered "free" Apple Watches to its members who opted in to its "Motion" program. Information from this program will not be used for underwriting, premium or coverage decisions.