Ten years ago, John Hancock took a chance. In an industry rooted in actuarial tables, underwriting decisions, and death benefits, the Boston-based life insurer asked an unusual and bold question: What if we could build customers – and profits – by providing benefits not just for dying, but for living well?
The answer was Vitality—a data-driven, behaviorally guided wellness program that has since evolved into what Hancock President and CEO Brooks Tingle calls “a fundamental rethinking of the life insurance business.”
“We were in an industry where things weren’t changing much,” Tingle said in a recent interview marking the program’s 10-year milestone. “You’d buy a policy, tuck it away, and someday your heirs might benefit. But in a modern, digital economy, that just didn’t make sense.”
Instead, Hancock envisioned something more interactive. Inspired by auto insurers that rewarded safe drivers and homeowner policies that provided discounts for security systems, Hancock flipped the life insurance model. The company began rewarding people who exercised, ate healthier, got regular checkups, and took preventative health measures.
And it worked.
The data paints a powerful picture
Since its 2015 launch, Vitality has collected a mountain of data—on steps taken, fruit and vegetable purchases, preventative screenings, and now, early cancer detection. That data paints a powerful picture:
- Vitality members walk twice as many steps daily as the average American.
- 52% lowered their blood pressure to healthy levels—compared to 25% nationally.
- 63% improved cholesterol, and nearly half lowered their Body Mass Index (BMI).
- Mental wellness also surged, with users logging more than 5 million minutes on the meditation app Headspace in 2024 alone.
Tingle said gathering actuarially credible mortality data takes time: “We need thousands of outcomes before we can publish definitive results,” but he has seen enough. “All the indicators show that engaged members in the program are experiencing lower mortality rates,” he said.
One of Vitality’s most meaningful shifts has been from prevention to early detection. In partnership with companies like GRAIL (makers of the Galleri multi-cancer blood test), Prenuvo (full-body MRI screening), Nutrisense, and Function Health, the program now helps members discover life-threatening illnesses before symptoms arise.
Tingle recalled one customer who credited Vitality with “saving my life twice”: once after Galleri detected throat cancer, and again when a Prenuvo scan uncovered a second, unrelated tumor.
That kind of impact, Tingle said, makes the case for the program better than any marketing campaign.
Early detection ‘a big part of what we offer’
“These early detection tools are now such a big part of what we offer,” he said. “And that’s where it becomes immediate. 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.”
Despite its success, few competitors have followed suit.
“I’m frankly disappointed more haven’t,” Tingle said. “Every insurer should be asking themselves: are we a passive claims payer, or an active risk manager?”
Vitality members not only live healthier, they engage more. Some who typically interacted with the company once or twice a year now log in 20 to 30 times a month.
That creates opportunity for retention, upselling, and deeper customer relationships.
Rewards for workouts top premium discounts
“You might think the premium discount would be the most popular feature,” Tingle said. “But the most loved part? The games. Spin-the-wheel rewards for workouts. A tic-tac-toe-style game for grocery shopping. Small things. But they drive consistent, joyful interaction.”
It is also where behavioral science meets business.
“We’re not trying to turn anyone into a marathoner,” he said. “But small, repeated choices—walk a bit more, eat a bit better—accumulate over time. That’s where real change happens.”
Tingle is unapologetic about the business case behind all this.
“Let’s be honest,” he said. “We make money by collecting and investing premiums. The longer people live, the more time we have to do that. I would say to every policyholder: yes, I want you to live a long, healthy life—because it’s good for you and good for me.”
Independent surveys back it up: Nine out of 10 consumers say they prefer Vitality-style policies. Seven in 10 say it would make them more likely to buy life insurance. “And one in four say they chose Hancock specifically because of this program,” Tingle added.
What’s next for Vitality?
Looking ahead, personalization is the next frontier.
“Everyone’s path to a better life is different,” Tingle said. “One person may need to move more; another may need to sleep better. Someone else may be managing diabetes. We’re designing the program to tailor incentives accordingly.”
Technology is making it possible. “There wasn’t even an Apple Watch when we started,” Tingle said. “Now we have customers telling us it saved their lives.”
Artificial intelligence is also on the radar. “Not to replace doctors,” he said, “but to help deliver smarter, more customized experiences—suggesting actions, screenings, or behaviors based on individual health profiles.”
For all its technological tools and actuarial credibility, Vitality’s secret ingredient may be simple human empathy. Tingle lost his mother to lung cancer at 65, despite her textbook-healthy lifestyle. “That’s why I’m passionate about early detection,” he said. “Sometimes it’s not about choices—it’s about luck, or genes.”
That is what Vitality tries to catch.
“This isn’t just a product,” he said. “It’s a relationship. It’s a way to say to our customers: ‘We’re in this with you.’ ”
A decade in, the message seems to be getting through.
© Entire contents copyright 2025 by InsuranceNewsNet.com Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted without the expressed written consent from InsuranceNewsNet.com.
Doug Bailey is a journalist and freelance writer who lives outside of Boston. He can be reached at [email protected].