BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Total health care spending in the U.S. climbed to $3.4 trillion in 2016 and is expected to reach $5.5 trillion by 2020, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. With these costs on the rise, the adoption of wellness incentive programs by health care plans is becoming very popular.
Earlier this month, Total System Services Inc. (TSYS) announced that its new patent-pending payment solution, Advanced AuthControl, which recognizes qualified purchases determined by a consumer’s health care plan, will be implemented at Walmart and Sam’s Club locations nationwide.
The TSYS Advanced AuthControl solution — combined with Walmart’s proprietary, point-of-sale decisioning capabilities, known as “Directed Spend” — enables TSYS health care clients to provide incentive dollars to members through their health care plan wellness incentive program.
A major benefit of Advanced AuthControl is program customization, linking customizable rewards to healthy behaviors. Through the unique features of the new payment solution, TSYS provides a wide range of options for where the rewards card can be accepted, which is determined by merchant category and product level.
“The addition of Walmart and Sam’s Club to our growing network of retail providers is a huge testament to the capabilities and benefits of Advanced AuthControl,” says Trey Jinks, TSYS’ group executive for loyalty, health care and emerging markets. “The geographic coverage and breadth of merchandise these retailers offer, combined with TSYS’ innovative payment solution, create tremendous opportunities to be healthy and reduce the growth in health care expenses by incenting healthy and preventative behaviors versus expensive treatments.”
The post Walmart enlists payment tool to spur health incentives appeared first on CDR – Chain Drug Review.