Applying the “air miles” model to health care
Oct 18, 2011 | 5:18 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Washington, DC USA
Programs: UA; Amtrak
Posts: 2,002
Applying the “air miles” model to health care
http://www.economist.com/node/21531407
The column as a whole is about policy "nudges" to encourage preventative healthcare, but I think FTers will take interest in the 6th paragraph:
The column as a whole is about policy "nudges" to encourage preventative healthcare, but I think FTers will take interest in the 6th paragraph:
The Discovery group, based in Johannesburg, has crafted a programme called Vitality that applies the “air miles” model to health care. You earn points by exercising, buying healthy food or hitting certain targets. You rise through various levels, from blue to gold, as you accumulate points (rewards are adjusted to your starting level of fitness to give everybody a chance of making progress). And you are given a mixture of short- and long-term rewards ranging from reduced premiums to exotic holidays.
Oct 18, 2011 | 5:33 pm
#3
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Orlando, FL, US
Programs: DL-Dirt Medallion;US-Cast Iron Preferred
Posts: 3,618
To truly recreate the air miles model, they'd need to make the rewards hard to redeem and subject to so many taxes and fees that the rewards were not much cheaper than than buying the items outright.
Oct 23, 2011 | 9:15 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Programs: AA EP, UA MM
Posts: 135
