Health insurance companies promote health measures for their insured people - with cash. If you do sports, don't smoke or keep your BMI within the normal range, you can get money paid out by your insurance company.
Most health insurance companies' bonus programs reward you if you are a member of a sports club, complete an exercise course, go for early cancer detection and dental prophylaxis. To take part in a bonus program, you register online and upload the confirmed studies and measures you have taken. Bonus points are then credited to an account, which can be exchanged for cash, other rewards or subsidies for further health services. The IKK pays the highest premium: it reimburses its insured persons up to 500 euros. Anyone who wants to spend the money on sports equipment or glasses simply has to submit the invoice and receives 1.5 or 2 times the amount of points paid out. The Bergische Krankenkasse, which performed best in the Focus-Money comparison for the federal states of Hamburg, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, pays 280 euros for seven measures.