Apple, Aetna, major hospital chains allegedly teaming up for customer discounts on Apple Watch

Apple reportedly held a number of discussions with Aetna in the beginning of August to see how to best bring the Apple Watch to the 23 million customers of the insurer.

The meetings were first noted by CNBC on Monday afternoon, and took place in Southern California on Aug. 10 and 11. Attendees reportedly included Apple and Aetna executives, as well as assorted chief medical information officers from large hospital chains across the country.

The conversations were said to be led by Apple's special projects and health head Myoung Cha. Aetna is seeking the technology to increase customer interest in improved lifestyles, and better diet tracking, according to sources familiar with the conversations.

Another source associated with the discussions told CNBC that Aetna was looking to roll out a program in early 2018.

Apple and Aetna declined to comment, but a source within Apple not authorized to speak on behalf of the company has confirmed that the meetings took place — but did not comment on the report that discounts for the Apple Watch were on the table.

AppleInsider has reached out to several large hospital chains for comment or elaboration on the report, and has not as of yet received a response.

The discussions are not the first ones that Apple and Aetna have participated in. In September 2016, Aetna announced that it would be giving its 50,000 employees Apple Watches for free. At the same time, it extended discounts on the wearable to some customers — and this discussion appears to be an extension of that program.

3 Comments

rogifan_new 4297 comments · 9 Years

About 7 years ago

Amazing how quickly Apple pivoted Apple Watch to being a fitness device. Everything they’re doing with the Watch now is geared towards health and fitness.

ktappe 824 comments · 16 Years

Let's conjecture a bit as to why Aetna would want to spend this much money on expensive devices. Such a thing could allow them to track you; know what you're doing. Kind of Big Brother-ish. I know Apple is very privacy-conscious, so it will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

GeorgeBMac 11421 comments · 8 Years

ktappe said:

Let's conjecture a bit as to why Aetna would want to spend this much money on expensive devices. Such a thing could allow them to track you; know what you're doing. Kind of Big Brother-ish. I know Apple is very privacy-conscious, so it will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

Yes, that is possible. But the more likely explanation is the obvious one: Apple Watches promote health and, since Aetna is a major health insurer, it will pay them to keep people healthy and out of the doctor's office and (especially) the hospital.

Our healthcare industry certainly won't do it: They make money when people are sick. They make no money on either healthy people or dead people. They like to keep you in the middle: not quite dead.
Actually there are credible estimate that treating chronic diseases caused by unhealthy lifestyles eats up 70-80% of our healthcare spending.

But, for Aetna, that is a cost rather than profit and it is not surprising that they would look at it differently.

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