Testing the Hypothesis

Health Insurance Program with Exercise Incentives

• Opportunity:
• Obesity is becoming a prominent issue in America, as it now surpasses car accidents and malnutrition in related deaths.
• The who: All Americans
• The what: Companies are unable to develop an effective program to improve the health of their clients and therefore, reduce the amount they have to pay to care for these individuals.
• The why: Logistical issues in being able to effectively build/implement these programs.
• Testing the who: While Americans are struggling the most with obesity, individuals throughout the world could benefit from this type of incentive program. Now that I am reflecting further, I think healthier societies would especially benefit from this program because they would be more interested in utilizing it.
• Testing the what: I do not believe the need has any boundaries. I believe that all individuals, whether healthy or extremely active, can benefit from this program.
• Testing the why: Obesity is a huge problem in society because our capitalistic society makes it so much faster, cheaper, and easier to buy food from a fast food drive thru than it is to buy organic produce from the grocery store.
• Interview #1:
• In this interview, I spoke with a middle-aged man that does not exercise very often, but enjoys his time at the gym when he is there. He thinks obesity/ general unhealthy living is a huge problem for Americans, as many are forced to work such long hours and simply do not have the time or resources to properly care for themselves.  He stated that he just does not feel enough intrinsic motivation to go to the gym even though he deeply enjoys it, so he tries to focus on eating clean foods.
• Interview #2:
• During this interview, I spoke with a pre-med student studying to be a physician at UF. He told me that as an aspiring primary care physician, he is very well aware of how many individuals he will probably have to treat in the future for obesity. He also understands how hard it is to get to the gym because he is so busy studying and being in class.
• Interview #3:
• This interviewee is a young college woman who frequents CrossFit. While she does not fully comprehend why people do not make time for the gym in their daily lives, she understands that people have different priorities, especially those with young families. She thinks that there might be a greater incentive for people to exercise of their were other motivators besides intrinsic.  
• Interview #4:
• This interview was held with a middle-aged woman who admits she never goes to the gym and eats generally poorly. She says that her biggest issue with exercising is that because of health issues, it is really hard on her body to participate in even basic workouts because it causes so much back pain and occasionally causes her sugar to spike because of the pressure she feels.
• Interview #5:
• This interview was with a freshman studying at an Ivy League institution. He says that he goes to the gym 2-3 times a week, but struggles often because of how much homework/work he has to do. He says that he’s not often incentivized to go to the gym because he prioritizes grades over physical fitness. He said that if he were to gain financial compensation for exercising, he would.
• Given your interviews, what do you know about the opportunity that you didn't know before?

The interviews definitely gave me a new perspective on this opportunity. It definitely made me realize that, if looking at the opportunity market from a pessimistic perspective, that it may be hard to get working adults and younger individuals to participate. College students, or young adults in general, tend to be on the parents insurance and may not be necessary compelled to exercise because the financial benefits do not directly benefit them. Additionally, working adults may not be as compelled to join the program because it is likely they will receive superior financial benefits from working harder/ more hours at their job than they would from an insurance deduction.