Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

Cash in on New Year’s resolutions for a healthier lifestyle with PruHealth

Getting fit, quitting smoking and eating healthily are three of the most common New Year resolutions people pledge to follow. But it’s easy to fall into the trap of shelling out lots of cash on new gadgets to help kick-start a new regime and then lose motivation a couple of weeks into the month.

This year PruHealth, the innovative private medical insurer, has created a plan to help members achieve all three promises, with discounted gym membership and other healthy discount offers.

PruHealth’s Five Step Plan to Healthy Savings:

1. Lose lbs but not £’s

PruHealth has linked up with top gyms to offer discounted gym memberships for its health insurance policyholders who go to the gym regularly*. The more a policyholder goes the gym, the less they pay for their membership.

2. Get Active

PruHealth has recently teamed up with eBay to offer policyholders who buy eligible fitness-related goods from the sports category on ebay.co.uk a way to earn Vitality points to help towards reductions on future health insurance premiums if they don’t make a claim.

3. Quit smoking

Quitting smoking can not only improve a persons physical health but non-smoker status can also improve the health of their bank balance, with a 20-a-day habit costing as much as £1,825 a year**. Smokers who sign-up with PruHealth can attend the ‘Allen Carr’s EasyWay to Stop Smoking Programme’ for just £49, rather than the £220 retail price. Upon attendance, members will be required to pay a £100 administration cost, however this will be fully reimbursed by PruHealth. Members will also be awarded 150 Vitality points for completion of the course.

4. Discounted health screening

PruHealth is offering policyholders wanting to start 2008 with a confirmed clean bill of health, the opportunity to take a health assessment session with one of its health partners to give people the chance to review their current health status and plan for their continued wellbeing.

5. Eat fruit and vegetables

Members who need help sticking to their New Year resolution of eating five pieces of fruit and vegetables a day can make use of healthy meal planners which are available to download from the PruHealth website and can also earn PruHealth Vitality reward system points when buying fresh fruit and vegetables from Sainsbury’s***.

PruHealth’s Chief Executive Officer, Shaun Matisonn, said: “Our philosophy is to reward our members for staying healthy - that extra financial incentive to get fit can give members the added boost they need to make regular visits to the gym and stay in shape throughout the year."

He continued, “The PruHealth Vitality reward system enables members to earn points for looking after their health, for example by going to the gym, eating healthily or having a fitness assessment. These points, along with limiting the number of claims they make, allows them 25, 50, 75 or even 100% off their renewal premium if they do not claim and depending on their vitality status towards the cost of their renewal.”

-Ends-

Notes to Editors:

*Partner gyms now include Cannons, Virgin Active and LA Fitness, covering a third of health clubs in the UK. PruHealth members pay an activation fee (£25) and a standard, subsidised fee for the 1st 3 months. Depending on the frequency of your gym visits and the particular gym partner used their next 3 months could start from £0 for standard LA Fitness and Cannons memberships, and typically from £5 to £15 for Virgin Active.

**Statistics from Health Development Agency.

***For every £2 spent on a weekly fruit and vegetable shop customers could earn PruHealth Vitality points which can be accrued over the course of a year and offset against their health insurance premiums the following year, assuming no claims have been made. Max spends of £20 per week for individual policyholders and £40 per week for family policies.

The information contained in Prudential UK's press releases is intended solely for journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions. Full consumer product information can be found at www.pruhealth.co.uk

PR contact:

Sophie Dawn
PruHealth
3 Sheldon Square
London
W2 6PR
020 7150 2574
http://www.pruhealth.co.uk/


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