Health Company Offers Apple Watch For $25 If You Hit Fitness Goals

We’ve always thought about the idea of the Apple Watch being subsidized for health reasons, and today it looks like we’ve got our first company looking to do just that.

In a program announced this week, Discovery is allowing some customers to buy a $350 Apple Watch Sport for only $25 so long as they hit their fitness goals. If the person misses their target, the discount is reduced.

Called the “Vitality Program”, Discovery Health says that it is “the world’s largest scientific incentive-based activity and health program.”

Jeff Williams, Apple Chief Operating Officer says that “Vitality shares our conviction that being active has a powerful impact on people’s lives. We are thrilled that Apple Watch will be helping Vitality members live a healthier day by being more active.”

While it’s not currently available to everyone, Discovery says they are working to bring it to the U.S. through three major companies: Agmen Lockton, and DaVita, all major healthy companies in the U.S. with Lockton being the largest private insurance firm.

I believe that this is just the start of incentives. With all the money spent on health care, I believe that more and more companies and organizations will offer people signifiant discounts on fitness wearables, including the Apple Watch, in order to bring the overall cost of healthcare down. On top of that, being able to truly track how users move and what their general health is like will benefit the health insurance companies tremendously.

This thing is just getting started.