Blue Cross' Healthy Incentives lets consumers turn good health into cash

News provided by

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

Jun 26, 2012, 03:04 ET

Premium-discount program offers individuals a chance to earn cash credits through healthy living

EAGAN, Minn., June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) has become the first plan in Minnesota to offer individual products with a built-in financial incentive for achieving good health. The "Healthy Incentives" program, available through Blue Cross individual plans, offers a $100 annual credit for meeting four basic health goals:

Body mass index (BMI) of 25 or less
Low-density lipoprotein ("bad cholesterol") level at or below 130 mmol/L
Blood pressure less than or equal to 120/80
No tobacco use

Members with Blue Cross' Personal Blue(SM) or Healthy Blue(SM) coverage simply need to show how they meet these health measures. If the member achieves all four goals, they receive a $100 credit.

Healthy Incentives is available now for all new Personal Blue members and their spouses and will be available July 1 with the new Healthy Blue plan for individuals. To get started in Healthy Incentives, members in these plans just need to sign into their personalized online health account at bluecrossmn.com.

"Our research shows individuals are taking more accountability for their health, and this is a way to reward them for their achievements in a very direct way – reducing their health care costs," said Kathy Dunmire, vice president of product management for Blue Cross. "For those who are still working on reaching their health goals, we offer a full suite of wellness programs to help them on their journey. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota was a pioneer in creating Healthy Incentives for the group market and we are excited to bring our individual customers the same opportunity."

An Innovator in Rewarding Better Health

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota first brought the Healthy Incentives concept to workplaces throughout the state in 2009. By motivating employers and employees through the financial benefits of living well, Healthy Incentives helped to create healthier employees and businesses. Several large employers, including Mills Fleet Farm, have incorporated the Healthy Incentives approach with significant results, including decreases in employee rates of high blood pressure and tobacco use. As an employer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield also offers this program to its own 3,600 employees.

About Personal Blue

As Blue Cross' most comprehensive coverage for individuals and families, Personal Blue offers options that look and act a lot like traditional employer plans. Personal Blue offers numerous deductible and premium options.

About Healthy Blue

Available July 1, 2012, Healthy Blue is a new plan with a unique feature – two separate deductibles. By having different deductible levels for inpatient care and outpatient care, Healthy Blue is able to keep each deductible lower. Healthy Blue is designed for the cost-conscious consumer who wants to save on premiums, but values good protection for an unexpected accident or illness.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with headquarters in the St. Paul suburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as Minnesota's first health plan and continues to carry out its charter mission today as a health company: to promote a wider, more economical and timely availability of health services for the people of Minnesota. Blue Cross is a not-for-profit, taxable organization. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, headquartered in Chicago. Go to bluecrossmn.com to learn more about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.

SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota