Benefit Informatics delivers proprietary applications and services to benefit providers through direct and indirect sales channels to plan providers, insurance companies and TPAs, serving more than 3,300 businesses and managing health benefits for more than 1.8 million members. Call 847-926-9406 for information regarding HCRM. www.benefitinformatics.com
Chicago-based Destiny Health and MD-based AEGON Direct Marketing Services Inc. (ADMS) are partnering to offer the Destiny Health Empowerment Plan© nationwide. The Destiny Health Empowerment Plan is a wellness-based health care plan1 being made available to employer and affinity groups through various distributors. Under the agreement, Stonebridge Life Insurance Company, which is licensed nationwide, will underwrite the plan. The marketing focus initially will be on Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado and Michigan, and then rolled out to additional states. The plan´s wellness program, called "vitality," encourages members to make and benefit from smarter choices with everything from lower health costs to free merchandise. Plan members are eligible to use Life Time Fitness, Curves and other regional and local fitness facilities. Destiny Health´s wellness-based strategy is modeled after Destiny Health´s parent company, Discovery Holdings Ltd., an international life and health insurance company with 2 million members, claiming to be the combined largest providers of wellness-based, health care plans in the world.
ADMS, an AEGON company, is a direct marketer of life and supplemental health insurance products and fee-based programs. It designs products for direct response and point-of-sale channels. Stonebridge Life Insurance Company offers term and whole life insurance plans and is also an AEGON company. www.destinyhealth.com; www.aegondms.com
1 Form number will vary by state. Approval of policy forms is pending.
Lifespring Health launched a free rewards program and a no-annual-fee credit card. With the rewards program, consumers earn points that can be redeemed to pay for any health service, prescription, elective procedure, gym membership, wellness products, or as a contribution to health savings accounts, among other products and services. Points also can be applied toward health insurance premiums in certain states. Each point earned is equivalent to US $1 spent. Consumers earn up to 4 percent back on everyday purchases such as groceries, gas, entertainment and dining with the Visa credit card. Reward points are deposited into the member´s account to use as rebates for health and wellness products and services, including elective medical procedures. The Lifespring Health Community is a social networking Web site where members can invite their friends and family to join. Members earn points when both they and other members of their community make purchases. Lifespring Health is based in Palo Alto and is privately funded. www.lifespringhealth.com
Medco Health Solutions Inc. acquired Polymedica, the parent company of Liberty Healthcare, in a $1.5 billion deal. Polymedica is a direct-to-consumer provider of diabetes supplies to a million patients and is best known for its TV commercials featuring character actor Wilford Brimley. Medco says that the acquisition broadens its role in diabetes care by providing test strips, syringes and other supplies, as well as medication. Medco presently provides pharmacy services to 2.8 million diabetics as a pharmacy benefit manager. Diabetics represent 5 percent of Medco´s patient population, but account for 15 percent of overall drug spending. Medco predicts that this category is expected to overtake cholesterol fighting drugs as the biggest source of drug spending by 2009. www.medco.com
Preferred Benefit Administrators Inc., a third-party administrator out of Longwood, FL specializing in self-funded group health administration, lMedical Rewards Network LLC allows consumers and employers to shop online and earn cash rebates on each purchase. Businesses can use the program to earn cash rewards to enhance employee benefit programs, or to establish reward and recognition programs for employees. Cash rewards earned by employees can offset the cost of deductibles, co-payments, vision exams, glasses/contact lenses, uninsured expenses, dental exams, prescriptions or any type of health care expense. Or, they can save the rewards to purchase products such as vacations, airline tickets, MP3 players, computers, clothing, home improvements or other products offered by merchant partners. preferredcorp.netrecall.com
