How John Hancock Turns Healthy Habits Into a Game

A major U.S. life insurer is betting that gift cards, prize wheels, and fitness streaks can do what traditional insurance never could: make policyholders healthier while growing its bottom line. John Hancock’s Vitality program, launched in 2015, rewards customers with points, premium discounts of up to 25%, and tangible perks for exercising, eating well, tracking sleep, and getting preventive screenings — effectively gamifying the life insurance experience.

According to NPR, the program reflects a deliberate shift in how John Hancock thinks about its core business. “We call this the life insurance business,” CEO Brooks Tingle told NPR. “But the reality is that for hundreds of years the focus was on death. It was all about, hey, you’re going to die, you should be prepared. What we’ve done is literally turn that around. This is about living, and living better.”

How the Program Works

Vitality members earn points for a wide range of healthy behaviors — from gym visits and healthy food purchases to sleep tracking and preventive check-ups. Those points translate into rewards including Amazon gift cards, Starbucks vouchers, Apple Watch discounts, REI deals, and hotel savings. Members progress through tiers — Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum — similar to airline loyalty programs.

One of the most popular features is a digital prize wheel that members can spin after hitting activity benchmarks. As Semafor reported in a June 2025 interview, Tingle says the program has transformed customer engagement: the average Vitality member now uses the app 20 to 30 times per month, compared to the one or two interactions per year that was typical before the program launched.

Measurable Health Outcomes

The data on health improvements is striking. Vitality members walk twice as many steps daily as the average American. According to the company, 52% of members with high blood pressure brought their levels into a healthy range — compared to 25% nationally — while 63% improved their cholesterol and nearly half lowered their Body Mass Index.

In February 2025, Tingle presented these results to the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, testifying that “behavior change is achievable” at a population level through incentives, rewards, and education. He later told the Joint Economic Committee in December 2025 that incentives can drive healthier behavior, citing the program’s decade-long track record.

Early Detection and Mental Wellness

Beyond daily habits, Vitality has expanded into early disease detection through partnerships with GRAIL (maker of the Galleri multi-cancer blood test), Prenuvo (full-body MRI), Nutrisense, and Function Health. Tingle described the impact in a 10-year retrospective: “Helping someone live two or three years longer is abstract — especially to someone in their 30s. But helping them catch stage one cancer instead of stage four? That’s transformative.”

Mental wellness has also seen significant engagement, with Vitality users logging more than 5 million minutes on the meditation app Headspace in 2024 alone.

The Business Case and Privacy Concerns

The program’s economics are straightforward: healthier customers live longer, pay premiums longer, and are more profitable for the insurer. “The longer we’re able to collect and invest the premiums, the more money we make,” Tingle told NPR. “You want to live a long, healthy life? It’s good for us, too.”

Tingle emphasizes three privacy principles: complete optionality (non-participants face no penalties), transparency about data usage, and a commitment not to sell data to third parties or use it to increase premiums. “The premium can only go down,” he told Semafor.

However, skeptics urge caution. Dr. Samir Sinha, a geriatrician at Sinai Health System in Toronto, told NPR that “there’s not enough evidence right now to say that these sorts of programs are going to actually have the intended effect” of extending lifespans, though he acknowledged that ingrained healthy habits could create a “longevity dividend.” Questions also remain about whether the program primarily benefits already-healthy populations and how it will perform across different socioeconomic groups.

What’s Next

Tingle has expressed disappointment that few competitors have adopted similar models, telling InsuranceNewsNet: “Every insurer should be asking themselves: are we a passive claims payer, or an active risk manager?” Looking ahead, John Hancock is exploring greater personalization — tailoring incentives to individual health needs — and leveraging artificial intelligence to deliver more customized experiences.

For now, two-thirds of John Hancock customers already use Vitality, and the program continues to attract attention from policymakers exploring ways to realign healthcare incentives. As Tingle told Congress: “When incentives are aligned, behavior can change.”