News arrived this morning of a rather strange marriage between America’s health insurance industry and the reality TV phenomenon.

WellPoint, which bills itself as the nation’s biggest health care insurer by medical membership, said it was teaming up with The Biggest Loser star and fitness trainer Bob Harper to help it develop a new program designed to prevent behaviorally based health problems such as smoking and obesity.

The way I read the announcement, the program will echo the show by encouraging people to basically shame others in their social network to adopt healthier behavior. They will set the proper tone by example.

This is, at its root, the basic ingredient in The Biggest Loser. Obviously, it’s a competition.

There is something about the show that makes me uncomfortable – the parading of flabby flesh before a judgmental audience, the idea that the participants are trying to lose the most weight, but they are also, in a more general way, “the biggest losers.”

Call me socially out of touch for not sitting glued to the set when the big weigh-in comes, and the shot ends with a close-up of tears welling up in the contestant’s eyes. Rather than going into detail here, my view is represented rather eloquently in this video of The Young Turks show.

So, WellPoint turns to Bob Harper. In the standard canned comment issued by the company today, Harper said, “Whether we realize it or not, when we are around others who eat healthy and model healthy behaviors, we begin to follow.

“Expanding this into a more formal, conscious effort can help each of us become role models for others in our lives. For any person who’s ever tried to quit smoking, lose weight, eat healthier or adopt a more active lifestyle, knowing you will also have an impact on others can be a powerful motivator.

“By working together with WellPoint, we hope to provide the information and tools to help millions across the country live healthy lives.”

WellPoint, along with other big insurers, has been working on wellness programs for several years. It makes perfect sense to prevent illness by changing people’s risky behavior, whether that means smoking a pack a day or paying a morning visit to McDonald’s seven days a week. From the insurance company’s standpoint, it’s far more profitable to cover folks with healthy lifestyles.

There’s some science behind the effort, too. WellPoint goes into detail in a report issued this month called The Ripple Effect of Individual Health Choices.

For example, if both a husband and wife smoke, the likelihood of one quitting rises 67 percent if the other quits first, according to a study cited by the insurer. On the other hand, if your best friend becomes obese, your chances of becoming obese goes up by 57 percent.

“People underestimate the influence they have over others when it comes to health – and the potential to help others even as they help themselves,” the report notes.

True. But in helping your friends and family, there may be a fine line between prodding them toward better health and making them feel like they’re the biggest loser. Watch this trend carefully over the next few years. It could be the most interesting reality show of all.





