eBay teams up with Prudential to promote healthy living

by Richard Kilner

Story link: eBay teams up with Prudential to promote healthy living

Private medical insurance premiums could be lowered simply by purchasing fresh fruit from the supermarket or shopping on eBay, due to the latest range of products of private medical insurance just released.

Private Medical Insurance firms have decided the best way to promote healthy living amongst their policyholders is to offer reduced gym membership fees, giving points for buying fresh fruit and vegetables or wearing a pedometer.

An example of such a product, PruHealth (from Prudential) incorporates a Vitality points scheme categorised into bronze, silver or gold. Gym membership and free health screenings are some of the advantages available, but discounts could be at risk should policyholders not keep up their healthy way of living.

Now eBay has teamed up with PruHealth, with points on offer for purchasing fitness equipment from the Sporting Goods section of the online auction site. Goods costing £5 or more could yield up to 40 points, with a maximum of 120 points per year for an individual policy, and twice that limit for a family policy.

Other partner firms allied with PruHealth include Boots, Virgin Active, Cannons, Nuffield Proactive Health and Sainsbury’s.

PruHealth’s chief executive, Shaun Matisonn, explained that the innovative partnership with eBay would enable customers to gain rewards simply for carrying out behaviour they would do anyway.

Samantha Knight of Chase Templeton advises potential policyholders of PruHealth to assess themselves before signing up, as failure to attend the gym regularly or change their lifestyle in a healthy direction could see them never rise above bronze status.