Health Plan Lets Ky. Members Save at Walmart
Nearly 275,000 members of the Kentucky Employees’ Health Plan (KEHP) “LivingWell" program are now eligible for 5 percent savings on products carrying Walmart’s Great For You icon, including fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy, through the “Vitality HealthyFood” initiative.
Launched four months ago by HumanaVitality and Walmart, Vitality HealthyFood is available at Walmart retail stores and Walmart Neighborhood Markets; Sam’s Club stores and Walmart.com aren’t included in the program. Great For You rolled out following consultation with food and nutrition experts in the public and private sectors, with input from health organizations.
“Through our partnership with HumanaVitality, we are able to offer KEHP members forward-thinking, innovative programs like Vitality HealthyFood,” said Kentucky's Personnel Cabinet Secretary, Tim Longmeyer. “Now our members can see how making nutritional choices at the grocery is great for them and their pocketbook.”
“Price is an important factor in incentivizing wellness in America,” added John Agwunobi, president of health and wellness at Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart U.S. “By offering affordable, healthier foods, we will help make our customers healthier and reduce costs to our health care system as a whole. This represents preventative care in its purest form.”
“[Kentucky] has become a national leader in inspiring healthy behavior through its LivingWell program and now through Vitality HealthyFood,” noted Joe Woods, CEO of Chicago-based HumanaVitality, a joint venture of Humana Inc. and Discovery Holdings Ltd. “Helping people make healthier choices in their daily lives is how we’re going to solve the health care cost crisis in this country. Unique collaborations such as this, among employers, health companies and retailers, are the key to making that happen.”
After logging in to HumanaVitality and completing a brief health assessment, KEHP members 18 years old or older will receive a Vitality HealthyFood card in the mail. When members shop at Walmart, their 5 percent savings on select Great For You products will be loaded as credits to the card within seven business days for use on their next trip to the mega-retailer.
KEHP is a self-insured health insurance plan providing wellness, health and pharmacy benefits to teachers, state employees, retirees and quasi-governmental employees.