The Association Between Medical Costs and Participation in the Vitality Health Promotion Program Among 948,974 Members of a South African Health Insurance Company

Abstract Purpose. Examine the association between the levels of participation in an incentive-based health promotion program (Vitality) and inpatient medical claims among members of a major health insurer. Design. A 1-year, cross-sectional, correlational analyses of engagement with a health promotion program and hospital claims experience (admissions costs, days in hospital, and admission rate) of members of a national private health insurer. Setting. Adult members of South Africa's largest national private health insurer, Discovery Health. Insured members were also eligible for voluntary membership in an insurance-linked incentivized health promotion program, Vitality. Subjects. The study sample included 948,974 adult members of the Discovery Health plan for the year 2006. Of these, 591,134 (62.3%) were also members of the Vitality health promotion program. Measures. The study sample was grouped based on registration and the level of engagement with the Vitality health promotion program into the followin...