As open enrollment approaches, it appears there's one potentially cost saving health promotional option that won't be included in most plans: wearable health monitoring devices.

The lack of inclusion in major health plans speaks volumes about the apparent lost opportunity of mobile and wearable health aids, some industry experts say. Unlike wellness plans, HSAs and other plan components that are popping up everywhere, plan designers continue to snub the eHealth/mHealth marketplace.

Now, a new study of nearly 1,000 adults reveals that if people were encouraged either by their primary care clinician or their health plan provider to give wearables a try, they probably would. The study, designed by TechnologyAdvice Research, contends that carriers could have the greatest impact on wearable adoption if they dangled lower insurance premiums in front of the insured as the carrot for using wearables.

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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.