John Hancock taps Verily and Onduo for life insurance solution for Americans living with diabetes

The partnership will provide personalized diabetes support with the protection of life insurance and the potential to earn up to 25% in premium savings.

John Hancock Aspire

John Hancock Aspire with Vitality has been announced as the first of its kind life insurance designed specifically for Americans living with diabetes, in collaboration with Verily, an Alphabet company, and Onduo.

Diabetes remains the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 1.5 million Americans diagnosed every year. Of the more than 30 million Americans living with diabetes, half either don’t have enough life insurance or don’t have any life insurance coverage at all. Many worry they won’t qualify for a life insurance policy because they have diabetes, and if they can secure coverage they are worried it’s too expensive. Further, even those with quality healthcare don’t always have access to state-of-the-art, personalized diabetes management support.

John Hancock Aspire offers customers living with diabetes the protection of life insurance paired with a technology-enabled program that provides coaching, clinical support, education, and rewards designed to help manage and improve their health. All John Hancock Aspire customers will also have access to an enhanced version of John Hancock Vitality, which is designed to reward steps customers take toward living longer, healthier lives, like exercise and buying healthy food, and now offers opportunities specific to the diabetes journey. Members have the potential to save up to 25 percent on their premiums.

Qualifying John Hancock Aspire customers with type 2 diabetes will be eligible to access Onduo’s virtual clinic and receive a blood glucose monitoring device and the companion Onduo app, which provide insights into the user’s diabetes management. Onduo’s virtual care team, made up of diabetes professionals such as dieticians, diabetes educators and doctors, offers personalized guidance and support regarding diet, activity, lifestyle habits and medication management. Those using Onduo to manage and improve their health can earn points to further boost their overall Vitality rewards and lower their premiums.

“At John Hancock, we believe in helping customers live longer, healthier lives, whether they’re living with a chronic condition like diabetes, or not,” Brooks Tingle, President and CEO of John Hancock Insurance, said in a statement. “When we help customers manage their diabetes by providing virtual care, education, support, incentives and rewards, we’re not only creating value for them, but also for our industry and society as a whole. That’s why we’re thrilled to work with innovative industry leaders, Verily and Onduo, to offer access to people living with diabetes to this first-of-its-kind offering. It’s time our industry started delivering more tailor-made solutions that truly help our customers.”

John Hancock has been committed to providing access to life insurance for customers with diabetes for decades. In 2018, 88 percent of applicants living with type 2 diabetes were approved for coverage. John Hancock Aspire is an opportunity to empower people living with diabetes further by giving them tools and resources to help them improve their health and change their lives.

John Hancock Aspire will be available to customers on November 18, 2019.