At this point you should know we LOVE getting the most out of our healthcare money - remember the FSA gift guide and these nine Amazon items you can buy with your FSA and HSA dollars? To help you make the most of your insurance, we’ve compiled a list of the some of the little-known perks that the big insurers offer. For a full list, check out your insurance company’s website to see the offerings available with your plan. Below are a few of our favorites.
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Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) - Illinois
Centered App - Offers meditation sessions, tracks your mood, and records your steps. Centered is available for most iPhones and the Apple Watch.
Blue365 - Offers discounts on tons of services from health-related companies including:
Note: We’ve only reviewed BCBS IL, but there are many other BCBS entities. Check your BCBS for discounts specific to you!
United Healthcare (UHC)
Accept ”missions” and “challenges” to track your activity and compete to earn rewards
Connect with a coach on the phone to create a customized healthy-living plan
Allows you to connect with a doctor for advice and prescriptions via your computer or phone in 20 minutes or less
Tip: Make sure your plan covers these visits - you can check by calling your insurance company when your plan starts
Aetna
Aetna is vague about their perks until you log in to your account, but they suggest that they (depending on your plan) offer the following:
Gym membership discounts at the YMCA and 24-Hour Fitness
Yoga, massage therapy, chiropractic, and nutrition services
Discounts on yoga equipment and nutritional supplements
Health coaching with regular check ins
A 24/7 hotline that can answer questions, offer reassurance, or can help you explain your symptoms to your physician
Diet and weight management programs
Cigna
Mobile apps that offer health coaches, trackers for exercise, nutrition, and water intake, recipes, and wellness tools to manage chronic conditions
Cigna Healthy Rewards Program - available to Cigna customers covered under a medical, vision, or dental plan. It includes:
25% discount to see a registered dietician
30% discount on Jenny Craig
25% of Just Walk 10,000 Steps a Day
10% off enrollment fees and/or monthly dues at American Specialty Health Networks
15% off lasik vision correction
25% off hearing exams and aids
25% off alternative medicine including acupuncture, chiropractor, and massage
40% off Gaiam yoga equipment
Up to 10% off Healthyroads Mind/Body Program
5% off drugstore.com
Up to 40% off ChooseHealthy.com
Cigna Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Babies
A health coach with nursing experience that you can talk to about discomfort during pregnancy, foods to avoid, birthing classes, and maternity benefits
A pregnancy journal with information, charts, and tools
24/7 access to live support
An “incentive” if you enroll by the end of your second trimester or “an even higher incentive” if you enroll by the end of your first trimester (we don’t know what it is, but now we are intrigued!)
Again, this list covers some of the little-known perks that the big insurers offer. Go to your insurance company’s website to see what is available to you! Leave us a comment if you find anything cool! Also, check out Coupons.com for more discounts!