Destiny Health Announces National Launch of Vitality Wellness Program

Business Wire, June 26, 2007

Only Plan Proven to Lower Costs, Improve Health

CHICAGO -- The industry-leading Vitality incentive-based wellness program is now available nationwide for larger employers wishing to team it with any and all brands of health insurance. The program originally was available only as a component integrated within The Destiny Health Empowerment Plan[TM].

According to Andrew Sykes, Chief Wellness Officer at Chicago-based Destiny Health, Vitality is the only wellness plan in the United States that addresses all the drivers of poor health. Vitality rewards members for first becoming educated about their health by completing a Health Risk Assessment. Members then receive customized reports and incentives to make positive fitness and lifestyle changes, for following preventive care guidelines, and for results from periodic screenings that measure cholesterol and blood glucose levels, height/weight, blood pressure, and tobacco usage.

"With more than 1.5 million members and 10 years of worldwide experience, Vitality also is the only wellness plan that has hard data to prove its ability to save costs," Sykes said.

"Destiny Health member data shows that engaged members experience a 15 percent drop in claims over a three-year period, and that by Year 3, companies with 5,000 employees or more record direct medical savings averaging $2.5 million," he said. "Importantly, a Harvard Business Review1 article concluded that those savings rise to almost $10 million per year when indirect costs are factored in - costs such as those related to presenteeism, absenteeism and disability."

The value of the Vitality program is reflected on the Chronic Disease Overview page of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion web site, which includes data showing that chronic diseases--such as cardiovascular disease (primarily heart disease and stroke), cancer, and diabetes--are among the most prevalent, costly, and preventable of all health problems. In fact, medical care costs of people with chronic diseases account for more than 75% of the nation's $1.4 trillion medical care costs.

Stuart Slutzky, head of product development at Destiny Health said "contributing to this problem are uncontrolled cholesterol and blood pressure levels, obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Vitality was designed specifically to address this issue and to truly drive positive change resulting in lower costs, higher productivity and a healthier, happier work force."

According to Slutzky, as Vitality members engage in designated education, fitness, prevention and lifestyle maintenance activities they earn Vitality Bucks[TM], which they can redeem for merchandise, movie tickets, discounts on health club memberships and travel packages, and more.

"Vitality provides the information and incentives needed to transform the healthcare industry from providing sick-care to enabling well-care," Slutzky said. "It is the only wellness program we know of that makes it possible for a member to receive rewards that more than pay for the costs of their insurance plan."

Worldwide, Vitality already is paying dividends to companies including Citibank, IBM, McKinsey & Company, the Cato Institute and many more. In the United States, the stand-alone program is being marketed now, but will not go into effect with new clients until the first of the year.

About Destiny Health

Destiny Health's innovative wellness-based healthcare plan is designed to make people healthier and enhance and protect their lives, by balancing health insurance coverage with incentives that motivate active participation in health care and reward healthy behaviors.

Destiny Health's wellness-based strategy is modeled after the strategy of Destiny Health's parent company, Discovery Holdings Ltd., an international life and health insurance company that has successfully enrolled over two million members in its health plan since 1992. Combined, Destiny Health and Discovery are the largest providers of wellness-based healthcare plans in the world.

Destiny Health has forged partnerships with some of the most respected and recognized names in the health and wellness field to help extend the reach of its wellness-based health plan. Members of The Destiny Health Empowerment Plan enjoy robust perks through partnerships with Life Time Fitness, Curves and other regional and local fitness facilities. To learn more, visit www.destinyhealth.com.

1"Presenteeism: At Work--But Out of It," Harvard Business Review, Vol. 82, No. 10, October 2004