Aetna to Provide Apple Watch to 50,000 Employees, Subsidize Cost for Customers

[Urban Joe]

WTF? Aetna won't have access to anything on the watch...unless you install a related app. You don't have to share anything with Apple. Aetna is not an evil corporation looking only to make a profit. It amazes me how much people like you have been brainwashed (by the liberal left and media) into thinking every business is out to get you. If these companies didn't exist you wouldn't have the standard of living that you do. Be thankful you have the option to purchase such an amazing technologically advanced device.

Trust me life will kick you in your rear end so hard and with your mentality you will never see it coming. People like you only learn the very hard way and after it's too late. God help your children and grandchildren. They will need it.
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At some point I expect they may even refuse to insure you if you don't meet certain monitoring criteria.

I say within 5 years unless there is a major shift away from gvt tyranny. Insurance companies are wanting to get it where they only insure healthy people [per their NIH/JAMA definition].

 

[imola.zhp]

Of course my company switched from Aetna last year.

 

[spinedoc77]

Awesome! 25% discount on AW, 50% increase in my premium.

Aetna just pulled out of the majority of state health insurance marketplaces because they were not profitable there. I guess they are trying hard in 2017 to make the other jurisdictions they still operate in unprofitable too. Seriously, I understand encouraging fitness, but the basic Fitbit does that at a fraction of the cost if that is Aetna's goal. Aetna doesn't need to provide customers with the non-health related features of AW.

Also what happens when people buy b/c of the subsidy, but then get board because they were not really motivated to exerise in the first place. $ down rat hole that will be charged to Aetna's customers later on down the road. There is no free lunch here, and this does nothing to lower the real cost of health care.

They should subsidize more gym memberships. My Aetna only subsidizes a few gyms which are very far away, and only a few dollar per month. They should subsidize you if you meet a certain goal, like going 3 days a week or something. I don't know wtf subsidizing an apple watch is really going to do unless they are going to have the manpower to monitor the health findings.

 

[itsmilo]

Just like Pokemon Go i stopped caring about those daily work out reminders after a few weeks. Now its just like annoying pop ups i swipe away lol

 

[nocturnum]

Yeah, because what you want is a insurance corporation that tracks your health and adjusts your premiums directly on your stats ...

... and once again, Tim Cook is thrilled! God, how exciting must be to feel the constant thrill.

 

[kdarling]

This is speculation. Apple doesn't roll like that. Have you ever seen any preinstalled carrier crapware on an iPhone?

I don't think the poster mean anything pre-installed.

I think his question was, what if Aetna requires a download of their app in order to keep the watch. So far, it doesn't sound like they do.

 

[nburwell]

I'm pretty interested in this since my insurance provider is Aetna through the company I work for. Our open enrollment period begins in November. Although I already have the Apple Watch (series 1), I'd be curious to see if my company will take part in this.

 

[spinedoc77]

WTF? Aetna won't have access to anything on the watch...unless you install a related app. You don't have to share anything with Apple. Aetna is not an evil corporation looking only to make a profit. It amazes me how much people like you have been brainwashed (by the liberal left and media) into thinking every business is out to get you. If these companies didn't exist you wouldn't have the standard of living that you do. Be thankful you have the option to purchase such an amazing technologically advanced device.

Interesting, I wonder if we'll be saying the same thing in 10 years when everyone has an OBDII connected monitor to their car for auto insurance companies to monitor. They are already rolling it out to customers for a "discount" on their insurance in order to monitor their habits. If it ever becomes mandatory I'm sure it will be used to set insurance risk and rates.

But seriously, those business are in it for a profit. You really think health care vendors have any altruism at all? No evil is not the right word, but profit is without question the main motivator. As a primary care physician I could tell you some stories about what insurance does and does not do in my almost 20 years of knowing them from the other side of the fence.

 

[kas23]

Let's not paint this as corporate social welfare. Without a doubt, these are not any more "free" than subsidized phones being "free". The cost is likely accounted for in next year'a premiums, which are going to increase substantially. And besides, Aetna is one of the worse providers in the country.

Lastly, and perhaps most damning, there is no outcome data for owning/using an Apple Watch. No way an insurance company gives anything away for "free" without the product/care showing a clear benefit.

 

[LastName]

Hopefully others will follow. Surprised Blue Cross didn't do this first!

That would require BCBS to even pretend to give a **** about their customers. That's not going to happen.

 

[RobertMartens]

I've gained 10 pounds since I've owned mine.

I'm guessing you got one of the gold watches. I hear they are pretty heavy, but I had no idea they weighed ten pounds.

 

[Macinva]

No thanks. We have Aetna and it's horrible. They nickel and dime everything and ALWAYS push back on all benefits. I don't want to get more embedded with them, I want out. Unfortunately it's who my employer offers so until I leave, I'm stuck.

 

[imola.zhp]

PS: TLDR but the people thinking information from the watches is going to somehow transmitted to their insurance provider, , thanks, I needed that laugh. FYI: That's not what Apple does.

 

[baremetal]

Are they also bundling an iPhone otherwise it's useless.

Are they also bundling a computer with iTunes, otherwise it's useless.

 

[yossi]

Yeah, because what you want is a insurance corporation that tracks your health and adjusts your premiums directly on your stats.

Sure, 25% up front discount, but when they find out your health isn't great then boom, suddenly you are paying 50%, 100%, 500% more the originally? The the problem is they decide what good or bad health is, you can be fit but have a minor heart murmur your watch will pick up, suddenly you are paying 250% more the next time your insurance is renewed even if your own doctor says its nothing to worry about.

And you might think, "well I will just leave Aetna and go to another insurance company", only thing is they are all in cahoots so once they know you are at risk with poor health your records are shared with all insurance companies and suddenly you can't afford health insurance anymore anywhere.

And guess what, your employer will have access to your health records and at-risk employees might suddenly be laid off for whatever reason because a company doesn't want people that might drop dead or be a burden of long term disability leave in the future.

It amazes me how much people will jump at a marketing promotion to get something free or get a perceived savings on cost without thinking one damn minute about the ulterior motives. NO corporation wants to earn less money from you, there is ALWAYS an ulterior profit mongering scheme with anything any corporation does.

Aetna can spin this all they want, the reality is that they will use this information to increase profit off of at-risk customers OR simply cancel at-risk customers that prove to have health stats that might indicate future liability to the company when a customer might actually need to use their insurance for health reasons.

In the end, this is yet another greedy organization that is looking to make more profit by violating your privacy and it is surprising that Apple would allow this considering how vocal Apple has been to not collect consumer data for profiteering. But right now Apple just wants to sell more Apple Watches and could care less about your privacy by allowing apps such as this to tie directly into another corporation's profit scheme. Dangle a shiney bauble in front of you, suddenly people want to share their private information with a corporation.

I am not sure what is more amazing. The nonsense that you are spewing, or the fact that so many readers liked your comment.

Under healthcare reform, insurance carriers cannot cancel someone due to their health status. They also cannot set premiums based on your level of fitness, or health status (other than being a smoker).

Care to try again?

 

[leenak]

I don't know if it is part of Aetna or something specific my company does but they are part of Virgin Health Miles which is pretty nifty and you can buy things like Fitbits and such through that for 'free' but you have to earn it. On the flip side, I rarely go to the doctor other than a once per year checkup so I tend not to be able to participate in the other benefits of Virgin Health Miles.

 

[truthertech]

No thanks. We have Aetna and it's horrible. They nickel and dime everything and ALWAYS push back on all benefits. I don't want to get more embedded with them, I want out. Unfortunately it's who my employer offers so until I leave, I'm stuck.

Yours is a common misunderstanding. In your scenario, your employer contracts with Aetna and Aetna provides the insurance level of benefits that your company decides. I've been with places that offered a "Cadillac" plan and others a very basic plan, both administered by Aetna. If you have an issue with your coverage, speak to your HR department or boss about having better coverage, reduced deductibles, etc.

 

[ignatius345]

Next up: you pay more for insurance if you don't have "enough" activity.
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Yours is a common misunderstanding. In your scenario, your employer contracts with Aetna and Aetna provides the insurance level of benefits that your company decides. I've been with places that offered a "Cadillac" plan and others a very basic plan, both administered by Aetna. If you have an issue with your coverage, speak to your HR department.

Thanks, Aetna marketer.

 

[cfj003]

I doubt Aetna is also getting access to any information stored on the apple watch. If you're super paranoid, you can just restore the software.

Really?!? you think aetna is just looking to give you a cool apple watch so you can improve your health? i guess progressive auto insurance only wants to track your driving to help you too...
[doublepost=1475017013][/doublepost]

How do you think they're doing that? Get it, restore the watch to factory, and use it as you please. They're most likely just providing them with no out-of-pocket cost to them, in the hopes that people will start standing up and moving more

boy are you naive

 

[yossi]

Next up: you pay more for insurance if you don't have "enough" activity.
[doublepost=1475016787][/doublepost]
Thanks, Aetna marketer.

He is telling the truth. Most medium to large size companies are self insured. They means they set the rules of the play, and pay Aetna/Cigna/BlueCross to administer it. It also means they pay the medical bills. So if you work for Lockheed Martin and have Cigna, Lockheed pays the $85,000 hospital bill for your scrotal surgery, not Cigna. And if you have a $5,000 deductible, it's because Lockheed built it that way. And if Cigna denied a certain medication, its because Lockheed requested that it not be covered.

 

[johnnygee]

Untied...err, I mean...United Healthcare needs to get on board.

 

[truthertech]

Next up: you pay more for insurance if you don't have "enough" activity.
[doublepost=1475016787][/doublepost]
Thanks, Aetna marketer.

Come on, you're part of the problem if you're defending willful ignorance. I know insurance companies are easy to beat up, and often deserve it, but in this case scenario, your anger is misdirected. I am not defending Aetna, just the truth. Health insurers largely make their money on the administrative fees they charge to administer employers' plans. They don't care whether you have "good" or "bad" coverage, your employer tells them what plans they want to offer and they administer it. For example, to save costs, most employers "charge their employees" a higher deductible if the employee wants to use a name brand prescription when a generic is available. But some employers want more expensive plans as a benefit to certain employees so on those plans you'll pay less, but that's not Aetna's decision.

 

[PJL500]

Could never understand why Apple did not acquire Nuance... . To be orthopedic about it this would have given them a leg up on voice recognition way back AND a foot in the door of Healthcare.

 

[truthertech]

Really?!? you think aetna is just looking to give you a cool apple watch so you can improve your health? i guess progressive auto insurance only wants to track your driving to help you too...
[doublepost=1475017013][/doublepost]
boy are you naive

Aetna isn't providing a watch to its employees, merely a subsidy to purchase one. Even if they were, you control what health data is shared with Apps, e.g., MyfitnessPal and others. Remove the tin foil.

 

[PJL500]

... and once again, Tim Cook is thrilled! God, how exciting must be to feel the constant thrill.

Poor Mrs Goldfarb; one of my all-time fave movies.