Insurance companies should be prohibited from using activity data to determine eligibility and cost of coverage. Fitbit, Apple, Garmin, Google need to align on this if the federal government won’t mandate these consumer protections.
I led Fitbit’s API for 4 years. I predicted insurance companies might raise rates to incentivize healthy behavior discounts using surveillance. An exec (also no longer at Fitbit) blocked my attempt to explicitly prohibit this use case. My tin foil hat is now more fashionable.
I believe incentivizing healthy behavior economically does work. However, the incentive should not also decrease access to insurance. Offer gift cards, travel vouchers, other credit card-like rewards—but don't discount the insurance coverage itself.
Tracking technology helps tens of millions of people be more active and make healthier choices every day. Allowing this beneficial technology to enable potential economic disenfranchisement is unethical.
Do the right thing, @ParkJames, @Tim_Cook, @IlliniHoss, @dtroper.
Do the right thing, @ParkJames, @Tim_Cook, @IlliniHoss, @dtroper.
