John Hancock’s new life insurance program that gives discount points for behavioral modification was covered in this morning’s
The article was titled “Giving Out Private Data for Discount in Insurance,” which gives an idea of the initial media reaction. If these types of product offerings are going to catch on, insurers will need to invest in changing the narrative to “Insurer Encourages Healthy Behavior in Policyholders.” Nonetheless, it’s encouraging to see these kinds of initiatives getting mainstream coverage, and we believe this is only the beginning. As we said recently,
With so many US households still uninsured, insurers are going have to try new things to re-position their product, focusing on consumer needs. New technologies like wearables and the Internet of Things will be an important part of executing that strategy, but insurers shouldn’t confuse adopting new tools with adopting a new orientation.
