Insurers Urged to Prevent Illness Through Health Programs
Swiss Re's chief medical officer says insurers should take a more active role in preventing ill health among policyholders.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Diabetes
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At the Global Wellness Summit on 11 November 2026, Swiss Re global chief medical officer John Schoonbee called on insurers to play a more active role in preventing ill health. He also presented research on Virta Health's nutrition-led program, which showed lower rates of major cardiovascular events over three years.
Why it matters
Insurers are concerned by declining mortality improvements in the US and flattening life expectancy in the US and UK, and insulin resistance is a key driver of poor metabolic health. Shifting from paying for treatment to encouraging prevention could affect how diabetes and related conditions are managed.
The figures come from industry premium estimates and a three-year Virta Health research study, with the cardiovascular outcome difference and its applicability to wider populations not quantified in the source. Almost 16 per cent of the US population has diabetes, and more than half of US adults are diabetic or pre-diabetic.
The players
Swiss Re
A Swiss reinsurance company that reinsures around 200 million people globally in the life and health sectors.
John Schoonbee
Swiss Re's global chief medical officer, who called on insurers to take a more active role in preventing ill health.
Virta Health
A company whose nutrition-led programme addresses insulin resistance through diet, movement and sleep, and whose three-year research showed lower rates of major cardiovascular events.
CSS
A Swiss health insurer that offers customers premium reductions of 10 to 15 per cent for healthy behaviours.
The details
Schoonbee said insurers can use wearable technology, rewards and premium discounts to motivate policyholders. Swiss insurer CSS offers premium reductions of 10 to 15 per cent for healthy behaviours, and Swiss Re assesses HbA1c, glucose, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol when underwriting life insurance.
Timeline
11 November 2026: Schoonbee presents at the Global Wellness Summit.
Health Landscape
The story extends Virta Health's three-year research on nutrition-led programmes, which showed lower rates of major cardiovascular events, into insurance underwriting. It reflects a shift in which insurers look to prevention of insulin resistance rather than only treatment of its consequences.
Policyholders may be offered premium discounts or wearable-linked rewards for healthy behaviours such as walking and maintaining healthy weight and blood pressure. Some Virta Health program patients reduced or stopped medication, though the source does not establish how common this was.
The takeaway
Insulin resistance is a central driver of poor metabolic health, so early attention to diet, movement, sleep and weight may matter more than waiting for diagnosis. Anyone tracking their own metabolic markers can discuss HbA1c, glucose and blood pressure with a clinician.
Further reading
For more on the metabolic conditions behind this debate, see Diabetes.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Leisureopportunities.
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Should health insurers reward customers who meet healthy-behaviour goals with lower premiums?
