Cash in on your New Year ‘New You’ resolutions with PruHealth

Vowing to ‘get fit’ and ‘sort out our finances’ are two of the most common New Year’s resolutions in the UK, and this year PruHealth, the innovative private medical insurer, can help people keep both pledges with its six months free gym membership and other healthy discount offers.

For starters, anyone looking to get in shape for 2007 and kick-start a healthy new regime can take advantage of six months of free standard gym membership at selected partner gyms. This is followed by reduced membership of just £25 per month for the duration of their health insurance policy when they sign-up for PruHealth health insurance before the end of February 2007.

Not only could gym bunnies save up to £678 on the average cost of a typical annual gym membership, PruHealth also offers a healthy lifestyle discount of up to 30 per cent off the first year’s premiums for new members.

A woman in her twenties who actively manages her health could save up to £315 per year with PruHealth with monthly payments of just £42.45. This is compared to premiums for equivalent products of £68.76 with AXA PPP, £62.36 with Standard Life, £55.54 with Norwich Union and £52.92 with BUPA.

Furthermore, New Year resolutions-makers can take advantage of discounted courses to give up smoking through PruHealth’s partnership with Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking Programme.

For people who just want to improve their general health and wellbeing in 2007, PruHealth invites new members to go for a health assessment session with one of its health partners (Nuffield Proactive Health, the Diagnostic Clinic, Roadtohealth). These sessions will give people the chance to review their current health and plan for their future continued wellbeing. Female PruHealth members could save from £190 and male PruHealth members could save from £165 on the cost of a BUPA full health screening session as part of its Vitality plan.

PruHealth Direct Marketing and Partnerships Director, Nick Read, said: “Last January, nearly 40 per cent of Brits said they planed to start a new exercise routine as part of their New Year ‘new me’ resolutions. However, I’m sure that for the majority, visits to the gym dwindled after the first couple of months. Having an added financial incentive to get fit can provide that extra motivation to keep going to the gym regularly and stay in shape throughout the year.

“PruHealth’s Vitality reward system enables members to earn points for looking after their health, for example by going to the gym or having a fitness assessment. These points, along with limiting the number of claims they make, could allow people to get back up to 100 per cent of the premium they paid this year if they reach the maximum Vitality status level and do not claim, towards the cost of their renewal.”

PruHealth Vitality Points

PruHealth members could earn points via a wide range of health improving measures such as regular gym visits, improving health and wellbeing knowledge, going for health screenings, stopping smoking and having a flu jab

Even taking brisk walks and downloading healthy meal planners from the PruHealth website (pruhealth.co.uk) could help lead to lower premiums

The more Vitality points you earn, the greater Vitality status you can achieve from Bronze (25 per cent discount) right through to Platinum (100 per cent discount).