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Earn an Apple Watch Through Aetna's New Wellness Program

Users who achieve their activity goals and complete health challenges will earn rewards points that can be redeemed for gift cards or to defray the cost of Apple's pricey smartwatch.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Health insurer Aetna is partnering with Apple on a new wellness program offering participants some serious real-world perks for hitting their goals.

In collaboration with the Cupertino tech giant, Aetna has created a new Apple Watch app dubbed Attain, which offers users personalized daily and weekly activity goals based on their age, sex, and weight as well as challenges to, for instance, get more sleep, eat better, or be more mindful. Users who achieve their activity goals and complete the challenges will earn rewards points that can be redeemed for gift cards or to defray the cost of Apple's pricey smartwatch.

The program, dubbed Attain by Aetna, is slated to launch this spring. You'll need an Apple Watch Series 1 or later and an iPhone 5S or later to participate. Interested Aetna members can head here to sign up.

Participants will also receive "personalized health notifications" encouraging them to do such things as get a flu shot, refill medication prescriptions, and visit a primary care physician if it's been a while since their last visit.

Attain by Aetna is designed for everyone "from fitness enthusiasts, to casual gym-goers, to parents who get all their exercise by keeping up with their kids," Alan Lotvin, executive vice president of transformation for Aetna owner CVS Health, said in a statement.

"You don't need to be a personal trainer or work out several hours a day to be healthier," Lotvin said. "We're designing Attain to be personalized and clinically relevant to where each individual is in their health journey. This is an ambitious challenge, and we will adapt and improve over time to create the best experience for our members."

Participants will have the option to share their Attain program data with Apple. The companies plan to use this information to improve the program by offering new features and more personalized recommendations over time.

"We believe that people should be able to play a more active role in managing their well-being," Apple COO Jeff Williams said in a statement. "As we learn over time, the goal is to make more customized recommendations that will help members accomplish their goals and live healthier lives."

Aetna promised that "user privacy and data security are at the heart of Attain."

All Attain health data will be encrypted "on the device, in transit, and on Aetna and Apple's servers, where it will be stored in a highly secure environment using industry-leading practices fully in compliance with HIPAA," Aetna said. The company said it won't use information from the program for underwriting, premium, or coverage decisions.

The program is voluntary, and users can decide what information they want to share. Meanwhile, for tips on securing your digital privacy, head here.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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