Save Money: Some Insurers Pay You to Get Healthy

We've already established that you can save money by taking care of yourself (not to mention that your health and your mind are more important than money) on more than one occasion, and this article from Money Central agrees. It discusses how some insurers pay you to get healthy. Their key thoughts:

Insurers are beginning to realize they can cut their own costs -- and those of their insured members -- by encouraging and rewarding healthy behavior. To that end, insurers are helping to subsidize everything from gym memberships to food bills and offering incentives such as T-shirts and iPods for people willing to work up a sweat.

The piece then details insurance companies that give you discounts for the following:

• Eat healthy -- Members receive up to a $200 rebate each year.

• Exercise often -- Join a qualifying gym, exercise at least eight times a month, and [get] reimbursed $20 of monthly membership.

• Stop smoking -- Free and reduced-cost smoking-cessation programs are offered by many insurers ($2,000 cost).

• Measure your health -- Program allows people to reduce their premiums just by taking a health-risk assessment.

• Play for prizes -- Members enrolled in the program get points for each day that they exercise -- can redeem them for everything from t-shirts to electronics.

I think what we're seeing here is only the tip of the iceberg. As medical costs keep rising and insurers look to lower their costs (and insurees look to lower their premiums for that matter), I think we'll see more and more programs geared toward getting people to exercise and eat well. Really, we all should be doing this anyway since good health is a proven way to extend our lives.