MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nearly 200,000 Minnesota households will soon receive discounts on healthy foods through the exclusive Medica Healthy Savings program. As part of its mission to help members live healthier lives, Medica is introducing a unique new program that helps Medica members eat healthy food and save money on their grocery bill. The program is a first-of-its-kind partnership among a health insurer, grocery retailers and food manufacturers.
Medica members can save more than $50 each month on pre-qualified healthy products across every major food group. Food qualifications are performed within the patented nutrition guidance program from nationally renowned Guiding Stars®. Medica members shop for the featured food promotions at any of the four participating retailers: Cub® Foods, Rainbow®, Lunds and Byerly’s. Members simply scan their Healthy Savings card at checkout and the savings are instantly deducted from their total. A single Healthy Savings card is accepted by all participating retailers.
Through proprietary technology, offers on healthy foods are updated and stored on Medica member Healthy Savings cards each week. Medica members can access information on offers through weekly emails, their smartphone or the Medica Healthy Savings website. The website allows members to track their savings, and provides valuable information on healthy eating including recipes, nutritional information and tips on how to maintain a balanced diet. In addition, offers on the Healthy Savings program free members from clipping, printing and loading coupons onto loyalty cards.
The Healthy Savings program is available at no cost to Medica members with health insurance through an employer and who reside within 30 miles of a participating retailer. Healthy Savings cards will be mailed in June.
More than 50 food producers will offer discounts on healthy foods including: Del Monte® Foods; Post Foods; Land-O-Lakes; Gold‘n Plump®; Bimbo Bakeries USA; Clif Bar & Company; DASANI®/Coca-Cola Company; Pan-O-Gold Baking Company/Country Hearth; Sparkling ICE®; Dreamfields Foods; Musselman’s; Polar Beverages; Califia Farms™; Red Gold, Inc.; Faribault Foods, Inc.; Old Orchard Brands, LLC; Lifeway Foods, Inc.; Catallia Mexican Foods, LLC; evian®; Mighty Leaf Tea ; JOLLY TIME® Pop Corn; Parkers Farm; Krema Group, Ltd.; FLATOUT Flatbread and Yucatan Foods.
“Evidence suggests that millions of Americans are challenged in managing and maintaining a healthy weight. This program is designed to make healthier food choices more affordable for Medica members,” says John Naylor, Medica’s senior vice president of commercial markets. “At Medica, we help our members live the healthiest lives possible. The health insurance industry has long focused on the importance of being active, but that’s only one part of the health equation,” says Naylor. “We’re proud to be the first insurer to offer this unique opportunity and to help our members eat healthier through education and discounts on nutritional foods.”
“Medica has the foresight to offer this incredible value to its members, at a time when consumers are looking for added value from their insurance partners,” says Barry Nordstrand, chief executive officer of Solutran, who developed the technology platform that runs the program. “We all share the mission to remove barriers to better health ─ through education, new and better tasting ways of preparing foods and making discounts easier to access. But the biggest barrier we hope to break down is the cost of healthier food.”
Dr. Robert Jeffery, director of the Obesity Prevention Center at the University of Minnesota, consulted on the program. “Until now, there hasn’t been a way to drive healthy eating behavior that benefits all parties,” says Jeffery. “With this program, we are seeing the first sustainable model for inspiring and sustaining healthier eating.”
About Medica
Serving about 1.5 million members, Medica is a
health insurance company headquartered in Minneapolis and active in the
Upper Midwest. The non-profit company provides health care coverage in
the employer, individual, Medicaid, Medicare and Medicare Part D markets
in Minnesota and a growing number of counties in North Dakota, South
Dakota and Wisconsin. Medica also offers national network coverage to
employers who have employees outside the Medica regional network. Medica’s
vision is to become the community’s health plan of choice, trusted for
its integrity, respected for its service, and admired for its commitment
to innovation and efficiency.
About S3
S3 is a new promotional technology platform
designed to educate and reward consumer communities using a
cross-retailer loyalty program, delivered through a bar-coded card and
supporting digital media. Savings on targeted products are pre-loaded
into member’s accounts and are available for consumers, real-time, at
participating retail locations. Solutran’s S3 technology serves as the
supporting substantiation platform behind the Medica Healthy Savings
program, which enables members to save on healthier foods without having
to clip, click, download or print coupons.
About Solutran
Solutran is a Minneapolis-based technology
company whose mission is to provide clients with innovative, reliable
and responsive electronic technology and paper financial services.
Solutran is a national leader in retail and pharmacy payments, consumer
incentive payments and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) payments.
Solutran services retail partners such as Kroger, Safeway, SUPERVALU,
Roundy’s, CVS and Walgreen’s. With 30 years of experience, Solutran is
the leading processor of consumer incentives in the country. Solutran
offers leading-edge WIC capabilities in both paper and electronic
processing and currently serves 58 of the 90 WIC agencies. For more
information, visit solutran.com
or call 888.SOLUTRAN (888-765-8872).
