Quit For Life is the tobacco program and Wellos is the general wellness app, and each needs its own eligibility check.
Two separate programs share a card on the carrier page. Quit For Life is a coached tobacco cessation program, and Wellos is an app for tracking health and planning meals. Neither is available on every plan.
What the program is and what members do.
Quit For Life
UnitedHealthcare describes Quit For Life as a program that uses physical, psychological and behavioral strategies and builds a quit plan around each tobacco user. Members work one-on-one with a coach and get digital tools, including expert-led learning, urge-management tools and text messages for encouragement. Support for nicotine replacement therapy is offered based on eligibility.
Wellos
UnitedHealthcare describes Wellos as a wellness app that helps members track their health, connect with coaches, build healthy habits and see tools, content and practices based on their progress. It includes meal plans and more than 5,000 recipes. UnitedHealthcare says it comes at no additional cost as part of eligible health plans.
What UnitedHealthcare reports
For Quit For Life, UnitedHealthcare reports 93% satisfaction and a 50% quit rate, using employer book of business results from 2006 to the first quarter of 2024. Both figures come from survey responders six months after enrollment, and a quit means 30 or more days without any tobacco. They describe responders, not everyone who enrolled.
Eligibility, funding and plan design.
Who can use it
UnitedHealthcare lists both programs for members on employer plans. Wellos is described as part of eligible health plans, and nicotine replacement support in Quit For Life depends on eligibility. Because the carrier ties each program to plan eligibility, an employer should confirm both separately for its own plan.
How it is funded
UnitedHealthcare calls Wellos available at no additional cost on eligible plans. Its employer wellness page presents Quit For Life among the programs it offers employers but gives no price on that page. Ask whether Quit For Life is bundled into the premium or administrative fee, and whether the replacement therapy cost sits in the pharmacy benefit.
Where it fits in plan design
Tobacco cessation is one of the few wellness topics with a clear link to plan design. Employers that charge tobacco users more for coverage need to offer a reasonable alternative, and a cessation program is the usual answer. Whether Quit For Life satisfies that for a given design is a compliance question for counsel, not a marketing one.
What to settle before relying on it.
How is nicotine replacement paid for?
UnitedHealthcare says replacement therapy support depends on eligibility. Ask whether products are covered through the pharmacy benefit, whether they carry a copay, and how many weeks are supported. A cessation program without a clear medication pathway tends to disappoint employees.
Do we have a tobacco premium difference, and does this program serve as the alternative?
If employees pay more for tobacco use, wellness rules require a way for those who cannot meet the standard to earn the lower rate. Incentives tied to health outcomes fall under HIPAA and ACA wellness rules and can raise ADA questions. We would have employment counsel review how Quit For Life fits.
What will we see back, and could it support a rebate?
Ask what group-level engagement reporting UnitedHealthcare provides for both programs and how often. Michigan law (MCL 500.3426) allows insurers to offer premium rebates up to 50% for tobacco cessation programs that show results, so ask whether UnitedHealthcare offers one and what it would require.
Common questions about this program.
Are Quit For Life and Wellos the same program?
No. Quit For Life is a coached tobacco cessation program, while Wellos is a general wellness app with health tracking, coaching and meal planning. Eligibility for each is checked against the plan.
Does the 50% quit rate apply to everyone who enrolls?
UnitedHealthcare measured it among survey responders six months after enrollment, with a quit defined as 30 or more days of abstinence from all tobacco. People who did not respond are not counted, so the figure is not a forecast for any one employer.
Can a tobacco cessation program earn a premium rebate in Michigan?
Michigan law (MCL 500.3426) lets insurers offer premium rebates for employer wellness programs that show results, up to 30%, or 50% for tobacco cessation. Whether UnitedHealthcare offers a rebate for a given group is a question for the carrier.
Programs and vendors named on this page
Official pages for the services mentioned above. Availability, cost and eligibility vary by plan and employer group, so confirm what applies to your group with the carrier.
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