
Apple, Aetna Consider Bringing Apple Watch to 23 Million Aetna Customers
Aetna Inc (AET) and Apple Inc (AAPL) - Get Report held private talks last week to discuss bringing Apple' Watch to Aetna's 23 million customers at a discount or possibly for free, CNBC reported.
Aetna already offers its 50,000 employees free Apple Watches as part of its corporate wellness program. But a new deal could extend the wearable fitness-tracking smart watches to Aetna members as a perk and offer a hearty increase in sales for Apple Watch.
Those in attendance at the meetings held in Southern California on Thursday and Friday included executives from Aetna and Apple and chief medical information officers from hospitals across the country. Apple's head of special health projects, Myoung Cha, was reportedly present as well.
The push could be part of Aetna's recent initiative geared toward increasing customer interest in diet tracking and smart lifestyle choices. Aetna could also utilize data drawn from the Apple Watches to gain insight into customer activities should users be willing to hand it over.
Apple recently overcame fitness tracking peer FitBit (FIT) - Get Report in sales, but privately held Chinese wearable device manufacturer Xiaomi Corp snagged the top spot in wearable sales during the second quarter of 2017.
Aetna could offer customers Apple Watches as soon as next year, sources told CNBC. Aetna was the first company to offer Apple Watches to its employees in 2016. IBM Corp (IBM) - Get Report now also uses the Apple Watch corporate wellness program.
The watches used in Aetna's corporate wellness program are meant to keep employees "active, healthy and productive throughout the day," according to an Apple statement. Aetna HR chief Tom Weidenkopf said, "building a healthier world starts with our own employees."
Apple has long been said to be working on beefing up sensors to track blood sugar and other diseases using the Apple Watch technology. The company has hired biomedical engineers to work at a remote location away from Apple's main campus in order to release what experts have called the "holy grail" of diabetes treatment.
Apple stock traded up 1.4% to $159.67 late-afternoon Monday. Aetna shares were up 2.1% to $155.36.
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