Health insurance Company AETNA announced that would offer to some customers a discount on Apple watches and payment facilities through monthly payroll deductions.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the health insurance provider said it would also give to its nearly 50,000 employees free Apple watches, making the first big deal between an insurance company and a tech giant.
The discounts for the customers on the devices were not specified by the company, but according to Aetna spokesman Ethan Slavin, the number will be “a significant portion” and will vary for customers.
Along with this initiative, AETNA also announced that is developing several health care apps for IOS devices like Ipads and Iphones. The apps will be on the market early next year and will help users to take their medications, order refills for prescriptions and message or call their doctor.
This partnership between Apple and AETNA could help Apple to reach potential customers. Compared with the first Apple Watch, this time, the company has focused the Apple Watch 2 on fitness tracking to match a health and fitness conscious user.
“We are thrilled that Aetna will be helping their members and employees take greater control of their health using Apple Watch,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Aetna’s new initiatives will be a powerful force toward creating better customer experiences in health care, and we look forward to working with Aetna to make them successful.”
On its side, AETNA wants to encourage their customers and employees “to live more productive, healthy lives” according to the statement.
“We are incredibly excited to use iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch to create simple, intuitive and personalized technology solutions that will transform the health and wellness experience for our members,” said Mark Bertolini, Aetna Chairman and CEO. “This is only the beginning – we look forward to using these tools to improve health outcomes and help more people achieve more healthy days.”
The program will begin this fall during open enrollment season.
Sources:
https://www.aetna.com/
