Apple Watch owners that use the popular health app Cardiogram can now take advantage of a free $1,000 accidental health insurance policy.
The new program, launched on Thursday, offers Apple Watch owners guaranteed access to set-rate accidental health coverage from Amica Life and Greenhouse Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (RGAx).
Users can also upgrade the $1,000 no-cost coverage to up to $500,000 of coverage for $9 to $41 per month. The program is currently only available to users living in Arizona, Georgia, Indiana and Wisconsin, but will expand to other states in the future.
Health and life insurance companies are increasingly embracing the Apple Watch and other wearables as a way to collect data form their clients as they work on encouraging preventative care.
Major insurers Aetna and John Hancock already provide discounted Apple Watch devices to their customers, hoping to encourage them to lead a healthier lifestyle.
“Ultimately, life insurers save dollars by saving lives,” said Brandon Ballinger, co-founder of Cardiogram. In multiple clinical studies, Cardiogram has validated the accuracy of its artificial intelligence-based algorithm, DeepHeart, to detect multiple chronic conditions – including hypertension, sleep apnea, diabetes and atrial fibrillation – using the heart rate sensor on consumer wearables. “This launch is a step toward using wearables to improve health. One of the first challenges we faced was to distill the complex world of life insurance into a simple set of screens that ordinary people can understand on their phones.”
The Cardiogram policy is an accidental death plan, and only pays in the case of a fatal accident. While not as comprehensive as full-coverage life insurance, the plan does not require a medical examination. Customers can upgrade the free $1,000 worth of coverage to $100,000 to $500,000 worth of coverage for $9 to $41 per month.
The program is available to users of the Cardiogram app on Apple Watch, Garmin, and WearOS smartwatches.
The Cardiogram app is available as a free download in the iOS App Store. [GET IT HERE] Interested users can apply for the coverage in a new “life insurance” section in the app’s profile tab.