Pru incentives promote fitness

by Gill Montia

Story link: Pru incentives promote fitness

Prudential has introduced incentives to help insurance customers maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The company’s PruHealth division has joined forces with a number of organisations that can help policyholders increase the amount of exercise they take, lose weight and stopping smoking.

Under the scheme, Cannons, LA Fitness and Virgin Active gyms will offer discounted membership to policyholders who attend sessions regularly, and smokers can enrol on an Alan Carr stop smoking programme for a reduced fee of £49.

Prudential customers can also gain Vitality points via eBay; the points can be accrued by purchasing various types of fitness equipment and can then be used to reduce health insurance premiums.

PruHealth’s chief executive, Shaun Matisonn, comments: “Our philosophy is to reward our members for staying healthy - that extra financial incentive to get fit can give members the added boost they need.”

The trend for insurers to offer healthy living incentives is increasing. In the US, where obesity is the overriding health concern, customers can obtain discounts by keeping a low body-mass index (BMI), the ratio of body fat that takes height and weight into account.

Some insurers offer discounts of up to 20% on life insurance policies for customers whose BMI is verified by a doctor to be 19 to 25.

People with a BMI of 30 or more are generally considered to be obese; those between 25 and 30 are considered overweight.