Assessing the Impact of myHealth Rewards Program-related Email Communications on Enrollment

The myHealth Rewards wellness program managed by GHP rewards those GHP members who carry their insurance through employment at Geisinger with reduced health insurance premiums over the course of the following year, if members register for the program and have their health measures on file by the enrollment deadline and are then able to meet their health goals by the respective due date. In spite of the potential savings to health plan members and the wellness program's potential to motivate engagement in healthy activities (with consequent improvement in health outcomes), over 20% of eligible GHP members have not yet enrolled in 2019, even after receiving promotional email communications and reminders. Therefore, the current study was developed to test whether different versions of emails are more effective than a standard reminder email or no-email condition in increasing myHealth Rewards login and enrollment rates. The standard email reminder mentions the average premium savings, the ease of the registration process, and the deadline for registering and having health measures on file, plus it provides links for registering and finding free health screenings where health measures can be collected and registered at one convenient time and location. The social norms email notes that a majority (78%) of GHP members' colleagues had enrolled in 2018, it provides a testimonial from a medical director at Geisinger's Commonwealth School of Medicine, stating the ways in which myHealth Rewards helped that doctor personally, and it emphasizes the simplicity and ease of taking the first step toward enrollment. The loss framing email suggests that GHP members are currently "throwing away" a precise monetary amount in savings by not participating and that they can therefore avoid missing out on substantial gains (i.e., savings) by taking action. It is hypothesized that, on average, each of the emails will increase enrollment compared with no email. Among GHP members who never enrolled in the past, it is hypothesized that the standard email reminder will not be as effective as the social norms and loss framing emails. Therefore, email conditions will be compared separately among those who did and did not register in 2018. Findings will help inform how best to increase enrollment in a wellness program among health plan members who have already received past promotional communications and who may or may not have participated in the past.