Healthy Savings Expands Into NY Metro Area

UnitedHealthcare and Oxford plan participants and their dependents in New York and New Jersey who are enrolled in large-group, fully insured employer-sponsored health plans will be able to buy nutritious foods at discounted prices at more than 180 Stop & Shop and Western Beef/Juniors locations through the Healthy Savings program. UnitedHealthCare offers both the UnitedHealthcare and Oxford health plans.

According to Minneapolis-based parent company and technology provider Solutran, Healthy Savings can reduce eligible users’ monthly grocery bills by more than $150. Shortly after their health plan renewal date, participants get a Healthy Savings card by mail and can download the Healthy Savings mobile app, available free at iTunes or Google Play. After the card is activated online at www.HealthySavingsUHC.com or www.HealthySavingsOxford.com, participants can buy more than 200 food and beverage brands of prequalified healthy foods.

The program offers weekly discounts on such better-for-you items as fresh produce, milk, whole grain bread, lean meats, eggs and yogurt, all of which are qualified through the Guiding Stars nutrition guidance system. The discounts are preloaded on accounts each week. Users can scan their cards or apps at checkout, which causes the discounts to be instantly subtracted from the bill and are printed on the receipt. The app also lets enrollees view available discounts, locate nearby participating grocery stores and track accumulated savings through the program.

“Healthy Savings makes choosing healthier food easier and more affordable for thousands of people throughout New York and New Jersey,” said Michael McGuire, CEO of UnitedHealthcare of New York. “We believe individuals and families will appreciate Healthy Savings because it enables them to improve their diets, which can improve their health and well-being.”

UnitedHealthcare serves almost 6 million people in New York and New Jersey through a network of 550-plus hospitals and 130,000 physicians and other care providers.

“We are on a mission to improve the way America eats,” said Solutran Chief Marketing Officer Chad Kelly. “Access to and affordability of healthy food continue to be barriers to better health and well-being. Healthy Savings is making a big difference by breaking down these barriers.”

Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealthCare made Healthy Savings available last year to people enrolled in fully insured employer-based and individual health plans in parts of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Program enrollees have so far saved more than $1.4 million. Participating retailers include Woodman’s Food Markets, Stop & Shop’s fellow Ahold Delhaize banners Giant Landover and Giant/Martin’s, and Supervalu.