Members may earn hundreds per year for reaching program health and activity goals
UHC Rewards
If you’ve ever put off an annual wellness exam with a care provider, you aren’t alone. According to a national survey,1 one-third of men do not think they need annual health screenings while nearly half of all American women skipped a preventive health service in the last 12 months.2
But what if you could earn incentives for engaging in certain healthy activities like scheduling an annual wellness exam with a care provider? Some employers now offer their workforces programs like UnitedHealthcare (UHC) Rewards that enable eligible members to cash in by doing just that.
By walking for a few days people can earn rewards that can be spent virtually however they want. Completing a one-time health survey can help pay for a monthly gym membership or subscription-based fitness program. By scheduling an annual wellness exam, eligible members can get money deposited into their health savings account (HSA) to help cover medical expenses.
These are just a few of the many ways eligible members may benefit with UHC Rewards, a leading consumer engagement program that offers incentives of $300 per year – or up to $1,0003 a year if your employer buys up that option – by completing various daily health goals and one-time activities.
UHC Rewards enables members to earn health-related incentives that can be added to a pre-paid debit card4 or deposited into an HSA. If you are interested in getting an Apple Watch, UHC Rewards members can now pay as little as $0 out of pocket and then use rewards for completing program goals to pay toward the price of the device.
Other recent program upgrades enable participants to earn incentives for completing various activities that can contribute to their health, in some cases actions people may already being doing.
New and existing daily and one-time activities for rewards include:
- Completing an annual wellness exam
- Getting an annual flu shot
- Completing a virtual urgent care visit
- Achieving 5,000 steps or more each day
- Completing 15 minutes or more of activity per day
- Tracking sleep for 14 nights
- Getting a biometric screening
- Completing a health survey
- Completing cervical cancer screenings and mammograms
“UnitedHealthcare Rewards provides a compelling and engaging experience,” said Samantha Baker, chief consumer officer for the UnitedHealthcare commercial business. “Fully integrated into our UHC app, it enables members to maximize the value of their benefits while earning incentives for completing activities that are designed to improve health and lower costs.”
Eligible members can activate UHC Rewards at no additional cost through the UnitedHealthcare app or myuhc.com. Participants who add a fitness tracker, including Apple Watch, have even more opportunities to earn rewards.
Examples of reward opportunities include3:
- $5.25 per week for walking 5,000 steps a day
- $8.75 per week for 30 active minutes of fitness a day
- $10 for tracking 14 days of sleep
- $50 for getting an annual checkup
- $25 for completing a health survey
“UHC Rewards gives our eligible members flexibility on how to earn and redeem their incentives which are theirs to spend or save how they want after completing a program goal or an activity,” Samantha said. “Incentives can be used to help cover out-of-pocket medical expenses and remove potential financial barriers to care, for example.”
Who’s eligible: The program is now available to most employers with two or more employees with UnitedHealthcare fully insured or level funded plans nationwide at the start of their new plan year. Select self-funded customers are now eligible to purchase the program, with additional self-funded customers gaining the option by 2025.
“UHC Rewards is designed to spur engagement, encourage daily activity and promote overall health, including to help people prevent or better manage chronic conditions,” Samantha said. “In fact, registered UHC Rewards members are over three times as more engaged with their health plan via our digital resources compared to non-registered members,3 helping contribute to more informed health care decisions.”