Yemisi Izuora
Vitality Health Insurance, an innovative health insurer from South Africa, on Wednesday launched a ground-breaking insurance product customised for Kenya’s leading businesses.
The firm is considering promoting its business portfolio in Nigeria and other parts of the sub region.
The health insurance offering is unique because it is an insurance product which focuses on wellbeing, aimed at positively impacting people’s health outcomes while improving and protecting their lives.
Vitality Health International is owned by multi-award winning South African insurer, Discovery, which pioneered the Vitality Shared-value Insurance model in South Africa, changing the insurance landscape with a health insurance model that rewards people for healthy living, and building successful partnerships globally with leading insurers.
Discovery, presently has a global presence, operating in 40 markets, impacting the lives of more than 30 million people worldwide.
Since its launch in January 2022, Vitality Health International has been gaining momentum in bringing health insurance that rewards healthy living to employer groups in the rest of Africa.
In addition to Kenya, Mozambique was added to its growing footprint in September 2022, with roots already extending into Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
A partnership with APA Insurance gives Vitality Health International time to focus on expansion
APA Insurance is Vitality Health International’s in-country medical insurance partner, using its established systems to collect premiums and debt, while Vitality Health International focuses on expanding its reach in Kenya. Built on commitment, integrity and innovation, APA Insurance has risen to become one of the leading financial service groups in East Africa. Together, Vitality Health International and APA are committed to enhancing the quality of lives of the African people – making the partnership mutually beneficial for both entities.
Ashok Shah, CEO of APA Insurance says: “Since our inception in 1977, APA’s mission has been to provide present and future peace of mind to the East African market and, in turn, enhance the quality of life for both its clients and their loved ones. Working in partnership with Vitality Health International, we believe, will fast-track achieving our collective vision.”
Discovery’s Shared-value model is centred on Vitality, a science-based behaviour-change programme that has been proven through independent research to positively impact health outcomes. The Vitality programme is embedded in the Vitality Health International health insurance model. This dynamic behaviour-change programme combines data analytics with rewards and incentives to encourage people to make healthier choices. The shared-value approach enables employees, employers and Vitality Health International to share in the value and benefits of healthy behaviour by lowering healthcare costs for employers and employees, while decreasing the claims risks for Vitality Health International.
Employers are rewarded with a cashback of up to 10 per cent for encouraging their employees to get healthy and the Vitality Health Fund that can be unlocked when members complete their Vitality Health Review extends the employees’ outpatient benefits by up to $100, based on completion of Vitality health assessments and positive engagement with the Vitality programme.
Employees can earn exciting weekly rewards with Vitality Health International’s exciting range of rewards partners, including Safaricom, Jumia, Uber, Uber Eats and Garmin, where vouchers can be redeemed for achieving their goals, or employees can choose to donate towards a life-changing vaccine.
By completing their weekly goals (including personalised, mental, fitness and lifestyle goals), members close their virtual ‘fuel bar’ and successfully earn rewards. They can choose from the full suite of rewards partners to redeem vouchers, or even shop at the Vitality online store.
Emma Knox, CEO of Vitality Health International says: “The foundation of the Vitality Shared-value model is to reward people for healthier behaviours, which improves their physical and mental well-being, improving productivity and decreasing the employer’s insurance or ‘health risk’. Through this model Vitality Health International is contributing towards a healthier society by making businesses and their employees healthier.”
The Vitality programme also enables Vitality Health International to provide an on-site wellness experience for employers. Vitality Health Checks, conducted by experienced and healthcare wellness specialists, are an essential aspect of the Vitality programme because employees get to understand their current health status and lifestyle risks.
Knox says: “As a data-driven organisation, Discovery Health tracks trends emerging from 3.7 million medical scheme members of 19 administered medical schemes. This data shows an increase in screening rates with clients who have signed up for Vitality. A number of studies have also found that the overall impact of Vitality on mortality rates is significant. Very engaged members who are on Gold and Diamond status with Vitality are estimated to have reduced mortality risk as a result of healthier lifestyles, increasing their life expectancy to 87 compared to 67 for the insured population in South Africa.”
After each wellness day, comprehensive reports with metrics and unique insights are shared with employers to help them improve health outcomes for their employees. Knox adds: “The wellness days that we have conducted in other African markets have been extremely impactful in helping employees understand their health and these events will continue to evolve and improve over time.”
Tailored to the unique needs of each market it operates in, Vitality Health International offers a comprehensive range of benefit plans including in-country, Africa Roaming and Worldwide (excluding USA) coverage, structured according to each employer’s area coverage needs and budgets.
While the health insurance offering caters for employers looking for in-country benefit plans to cover staff 100 per cent in Kenya, it is also particularly attractive to new-generation expatriates (Kenyans returning home after studying abroad) and employees who travel and want to be covered both inside and outside the borders of Kenya.
