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

[alexmarchuk]

So many wrongs in this thread, and tinfoils. This will boost the Apple watch popularity tremendously.

On the subject of health data being transmitted as a condition of getting the subsidized watch? Yeah that's not going to happen and as mentioned in an earlier post, Apple wouldn't be okay with that deal. It's no different than any other company giving a small discount to a customer. I get a 12% off my AT&T bill from my employer.

It's not a free phone for customers, it's just a discount, every business runs discounts all the time. You can choose to use Aetnas app to monitor your data, maybe they will offer you a rate reduction for allowing your to send data to them, again will only be an opt in thing.

Apple will sell the Apple Watch at a steep discount as it will favor their sales, it's the easiest way to move such massive quantities of watches in a safe bet. If Apple gives Aetna a 30% discount on all watches, and Aetna discounts them at 25% for a customer, that's a win win. Apple sells more watches, Aetna is in a position to opt in to their data analysis of your data (again maybe for a rate discount). Apple will without a doubt heavily discount those 50,000 units to employees and all while pushing 50,000 units off the shelf.

How is this not obvious to most of you?

 

[ghost187]

Can anyone tell me why a thermometer isn't included in any of the smart/fitness watches? It's cheap, small, and infinitely useful for monitoring your health. Just wondering that's all, thanks.

Just thought of it because such features may even make it possible for your insurance to pay for an apple watch in the future.

 

[The Barron]

Excellent move and I'm sure just the first. Other companies will follow.
[doublepost=1475000280][/doublepost]

Perhaps you should delete the opentable app from your watch?

My Apple stock will love this! Thanks!!

 

[Soccertess]

wonder why they didn't go with fitbit. Apple watch can only be used with iOS, and most of the world is on Andriod

 

[alexmarchuk]

wonder why they didn't go with fitbit. Apple watch can only be used with iOS, and most of the world is on Andriod

Because the fitbit is nowhere near what the Apple watch is.

 

[LordVic]

wonder why they didn't go with fitbit. Apple watch can only be used with iOS, and most of the world is on Andriod

Fitbit is not a smart watch and cannot be easily used to run custom applications.

The only real option for such, would be to make their own, the Samsung watches, or the Apple watches.

And Apple has pushed the Apple Watch harder than any of the others to make sure theirs at least dev space and enough developed applications out there that can fit these particular needs.

Fitbit doesn't offer apps
Even google wear really doesn't allow for full apps and is more aimed just to collect data and relay notifications. That really doesn't leave a lot of options.

And it doesn't hurt that Apple somehow has 50000 of these just laying around to sell

 

[alexmarchuk]

Fitbit is not a smart watch and cannot be easily used to run custom applications.

The only real option for such, would be to make their own, the Samsung watches, or the Apple watches.

And Apple has pushed the Apple Watch harder than any of the others to make sure theirs at least dev space and enough developed applications out there that can fit these particular needs.

Fitbit doesn't offer apps
Even google wear really doesn't allow for full apps and is more aimed just to collect data and relay notifications. That really doesn't leave a lot of options.

And it doesn't hurt that Apple somehow has 50000 of these just laying around to sell

I just got the 42mm the other day, never wanted one, but once you have it, oh do you find a use for it

Got the series 2, perfect timing thought I'd get the refined one, this was the time.

 

[LordVic]

I just got the 42mm the other day, never wanted one, but once you have it, oh do you find a use for it

Got the series 2, perfect timing thought I'd get the refined one, this was the time.

Ive always thought the Apple Watch was a decently made product

But I'm not an iPhone user, and I honestly think it looks like garbage. But I realize that's subjective.

That still doesn't mean that besides the same drawbacks that all higher end smart watches have, it's not a well made product.

 

[usarioclave]

Coming soon: Apple Health Telemetry. Too bad the Home app is such a POS; at this point it'll need three iterations just to get it to be decent.

 

[alexmarchuk]

Ive always thought the Apple Watch was a decently made product

But I'm not an iPhone user, and I honestly think it looks like garbage. But I realize that's subjective.

That still doesn't mean that besides the same drawbacks that all higher end smart watches have, it's not a well made product.

Yeah my mother has a rose 38mm too now, loves it. It packs so much things in one package you have to really learn your way around it, and learn all the ways to interact with it.

 

[LordVic]

Yeah my mother has a rose 38mm too now, loves it. It packs so much things in one package you have to really learn your way around it, and learn all the ways to interact with it.

Some people believe learning is a bad thing! Apple Watch fail!


Just kidding.

 

[ignatius345]

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.

Remove the blinders.

You think Aetna is paying money out of the goodness of their hearts? Yeah. Truth is, there's ample precedent for health insurers providing lower rates for people who share their activity data. But nah, you're right, I'm sure Aetna just really thinks the Apple Watch is neat and fun and just wants to share it with everybody. Cool how insurance companies are run by such nice people!

In the meantime, more employers are opting to monitor data being generated by fitness trackers — to the extent they can see it on a dashboard — and are holding their insured staff to account with rewards as part of a growing number of so-called corporate-wellness programs.

Some are even exploring punishments for unhealthy behavior recorded by a wearable.

But consumers participating in the Vitality program must be comfortable providing enough information continuously to meet certain thresholds that will convert into worthwhile savings. That might include the frequency of workouts, reporting a physical exam or answering sensitive personal questions: During the last 30 days, how often did you feel so nervous that nothing could calm you down? Hopeless? Depressed?

“You do not have to send us any data you are not comfortable with,” Mr. Doughty said. “The trade-off is you won’t get points for that.”

 

[lordofthereef]

Because the fitbit is nowhere near what the Apple watch is.

As a fitness tracker it certainly is. From a health standpoint the Apple Watch offers nothing additional to Aetna. Maybe the fact people might be more inclined to use it. But Fitbit is a pretty ubiquitous name by now with lots of options too. I'd venture to guess more people use s Fitbit than an Apple Watch. And it's also not a bad think the person you quoted pointed out; this news is useless to anyone not on iPhone.

Perhaps Aetna plans to require users to feed them with data monthly; I see no technical reason why a Fitbit couldn't do this too. Though I suppose they may want their own app. So will this be a "we will give you an Apple Watch but charge you for it if you delete he app" scenario? We will see how this all pans out I guess.

 

[HopefulHumanist]

Paranoide nonsense

Wow, someone is really paranoid. Just because they subsidize the cost of the watch doesn't mean they get access to any of your health (or non-health) data. Whatever apps they parter with Apple for will be optional and I doubt Apple will make apps that share sensitive data without permission or disclosure because there's no precedent for it; only precedent for the opposite.

 

[ignatius345]

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.

So many wrongs in this thread, and tinfoils.

And you think Aetna is paying money out of the goodness of their hearts? You guys are fun.

There's ample precedent for health insurers providing lower rates for people who share their activity data -- or for punishing people for behavior they don't like. But nah, you're right, I'm sure Aetna just really thinks the Apple Watch is neat and fun and just wants to share it with everybody

In the meantime, more employers are opting to monitor data being generated by fitness trackers — to the extent they can see it on a dashboard — and are holding their insured staff to account with rewards as part of a growing number of so-called corporate-wellness programs.

Some are even exploring punishments for unhealthy behavior recorded by a wearable.

But consumers participating in the Vitality program must be comfortable providing enough information continuously to meet certain thresholds that will convert into worthwhile savings. That might include the frequency of workouts, reporting a physical exam or answering sensitive personal questions: During the last 30 days, how often did you feel so nervous that nothing could calm you down? Hopeless? Depressed?

“You do not have to send us any data you are not comfortable with,” Mr. Doughty said. “The trade-off is you won’t get points for that.”

 

[HopefulHumanist]

And you think Aetna is paying money out of the goodness of their hearts? Please, remove the blinders.

Also, there's ample precedent for health insurers providing lower rates for people who share their activity data. But nah, you're right, I'm sure Aetna just really thinks the Apple Watch is neat and fun and just wants to share it with everybody

It doesn't have to be out of the kindness of their heart; there's plenty of evidence that primary prevention reduces health care costs. So having employees and clients eating better and being more active will save them money. It's still very much a selfish motivation but without necessarily disclosing sensitive health data.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

And without the watch, you would have gained 50 pounds.

Yeah, no. In reality, hitting a 500-1000 calorie daily move goal isn't likely to have any effect for someone who needs to lose significant weight.

 

[bniu]

That took courage.

The liquid form?

 

[Dvitali]

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.

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.

My company 3m is partner with Athena for our health insurance. Each year they offer us $400 off our health insurance if we sign up for Healthy Living program. The program only consists of three events like tracking your steps for a month, eating healthy, and a checkup with your doctor, or taking part in the company fun and game picnic day. For the most people would take the $400 off the health insurance instead of the Apple Watch. But if they offer both as a award for signing up then I have no problem taking the watch.

 

[robbyx]

They're going to want something in return...like the watch health data. I find this creepy.

 

[prasand]

To the delusionally paranoid I say:

Apple's Policy + HIPAA

 

[Soccertess]

Because the fitbit is nowhere near what the Apple watch is.

As a fitness tracker, doesn't it offer the same? Even the highend fitbit offers GPS.

Sending your heartbeat to your buddies and getting sport scores isn't going to help you lose weight

 

[Carlanga]

I would be very cautious about accepting a free GPS-enabled device from my employer!

Unless they are also subsiding the iPhone our making you install an app from them its nothing.

They are using the employees as test bunnies to see if they are more activate w it and can save money w customers in the future or if its just a fad.

 

[Mr Staunton]

And Apple Watch 3 to substantially increase in price, "due to manufacturing costs".

 

[ghanwani]

Will Aetna also develop an app to show you how much you overpaid for healthcare compared to the next 10 most expensive countries? Will Aetna also develop an app to tell you all the short and long term risks that the medication you're on is exposing you to? Will Aetna also develop an app that records how many times you got over-billed for services and by how much? Will Aetna develop an app to show you show most of the medications that you're taking are actually unnecessary? Will Aetna develop an app to tell you how much a service will cost before you actually get it? Will Aetna develop an app to record how much time you wasted sorting out billing issues?

I figure not. And with that it becomes crystal clear how they can fund such programs!