With the launch of the innovative "Wellness for Life" program, Aviva is embarking on a mission to redefine how customers think of life insurance, and they're doing it in good company.
- Aviva also working with Emmy Award winning journalist Stephanie Riggs to launch innovative life insurance program
With the launch of the innovative "Wellness for Life" program, Aviva is embarking on a mission to redefine how customers think of life insurance, and they're doing it in good company. Aviva USA, part of Aviva plc, the world's fifth-largest insurance group, announced today that it is working with the Mayo Clinic's esteemed Health Solutions group to bring the new insurance program to life.
Designed to reward people for taking proactive steps to stay healthy, Wellness for Life is an exclusive life insurance program meant to encourage healthy living, increase life expectancy and potentially reduce the cost of insurance for participants. With its patent-pending Wellness for Life program, Aviva is the first US life insurance company to link a broad individual accountability system to a life insurance policy.
To encourage healthy living and help Wellness for Life program participants reduce their insurance costs, Aviva arranged to provide high-quality wellness information and services from Mayo Clinic Health Solutions.
"Wellness for Life matches up well with Mayo Clinic's mission to provide reliable health and wellness information to everybody we can reach," said Tom Ferraro, director of strategic relations for Mayo Clinic Health Solutions. "We applaud Aviva's goal of trying to improve the health of all Americans."
To help spread the word, Aviva also has established a relationship with journalist Stephanie Riggs, who signed up for Wellness for Life immediately after it became available to her. An Emmy Award winner for Best Journalistic Enterprise, Riggs is passionate about health/wellness programs and about partnering with initiatives that help save lives.
Riggs will serve as an official Wellness for Life spokesperson, travelling the country to meet with consumers, share her own Wellness for Life story, and encourage people to participate.
Riggs' most recent endeavour, a television special titled "Fitting In," also touches on the importance of healthy living. Airing on ABC Family at 7am, Saturday 14 June 2008, the national television event features overweight kids (12 and under) being taught healthy habits. Riggs' own production company produced "Fitting In," and she serves as the host employing fitness and nutrition experts to help the kids make better choices in exercise and eating. Aviva is the title sponsor of the show.
"As demonstrated by the Wellness for Life program, our company is passionate about encouraging healthy living, and our relationship with the Mayo Clinic helps promote healthy lifestyles so our customers can enjoy lower-cost life insurance," said Tom Godlasky, president and CEO of Aviva USA. "We're also honoured to help spread the word about the importance of wellness to today's youth by sponsoring Stephanie Riggs' ‘Fitting In' television event."
Wellness for Life on the road
Aviva will also be spreading the word about healthy living, one person at a time, via the Wellness for Life tour. Encouraged by positive consumer focus groups, Aviva is taking the message on the road, literally, with a nationwide bus tour. The bright yellow, 45-foot customized motor coach will visit cities across the country in a campaign to educate the public on ways to improve their health and potentially save money.
"We truly believe the Wellness for Life program with its innovative reward system - supported by both the Mayo Clinic's expertise in educating and encouraging healthy behaviours and Stephanie's passion for bringing important wellness information to light - will put the ‘life' back in life insurance," said Brian Clark, chief strategy officer for Aviva USA. "Our goal is to change the way people think about life insurance and improve the health of all Americans."
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Contacts:
Robin Broder
Fleishman-Hillard
Telephone: +1 816 512 2385
Email: robin.broder@fleishman.com
Jonna LaToure
Aviva USA
Telephone: +1 515 557 3910
Email: jonna.latoure@avivausa.com
Notes to editors:
About Aviva
Aviva is the leading provider of life insurance and annuities to Europe with substantial positions in other markets around the world, making it the world's fifth-largest insurance group based on gross worldwide premiums as of December 31, 2007. Aviva's principal global business activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance, with worldwide total sales of $98.4 billion and assets under management of $724.6 billion as of December 31, 2007. Aviva currently has 57,000 employees serving 45 million customers. Aviva is traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol AV.
About Aviva USA
In 2006, Aviva grew its existing US presence by acquiring AmerUs Group, a national leader in indexed annuities and indexed life insurance. Nationally, Aviva USA is ranked number one in sales of indexed life insurance and number one in sales of indexed annuities. Aviva's US employees are committed to helping customers meet their long-term savings, insurance and retirement income needs.
About Mayo Clinic Health Solutions
Mayo Clinic Health Solutions works to extend Mayo Clinic expertise to people throughout their lives. By drawing upon the collective experience of more than 2,000 physician experts, Mayo Clinic Health Solutions provides an integrated suite of products and services designed to improve both individual and population health. Products include Mayo Clinic EmbodyHealth portal, Mayo Clinic Health Risk Assessment, Mayo Clinic EmbodyHealth newsletter, Mayo Clinic EmbodyHealth Guide to Self-Care book, Ask Mayo Clinic nurse line and health advisor programs, telephonic lifestyle coaching programs, and third-party administration services.
About Stephanie Riggs
Stephanie Riggs' Emmy-Award winning series on AIDS orphans in remote eastern Africa, "A Place of Hope," also won two national Gracie Allen Awards for best news series and best documentary. This series received the National Gabriel Award and National Telly Award.
Riggs anchored the #1 Rated Evening Newscast at KCNC-TV, the Denver CBS affiliate, for eight years. Riggs received the prestigious Emmy Award for "Best Journalistic Enterprise" for her News4 investigation on Colorado Child Care. Her in-depth look at the serious problems with Colorado child care and solutions to those problems also won Best Documentary from the Associated Press and the Clarion Award from Women in Communications.