Insurance policies that promote healthier lifestyles are becoming more popular in Japan – and more profitable for the country’s insurers.
Last year, Japanese insurers started adding perks, such as discounts on premiums, to health insurance policies for customers who take up healthy habits like going to the gym or visiting clinics for regular medical check-ups.
Since then, over 1.2 million policies had been sold by the end of August, according to NHK News. Insurers are betting that the sales trend will continue as Japan’s population ages and more people give importance to maintaining their health.
According to NHK News, insurers are also hoping that promoting a healthy lifestyle will mean fewer insurance payouts to cover medical bills. In fact, a survey ran by insurance giant Sumitomo Life revealed that about half its customers who had high blood pressure reported an improvement after the company introduced “healthy lifestyle” perks.
