‘Healthy Savings’ cards expand to Woodman’s

July 31--JANESVILLE -- A group that offers automatic discounts at the checkout lane on fresh and healthy foods has expanded its program to local grocer Woodman's Market.

What it is: Healthy Savings is a food discount card that automatically rings up savings for customers that have the card through their health insurance program.

The program is run by Minnesota-based Electronic Benefit Plan processor Solutran. It's offered to members of Minnesota-based insurer UnitedHealthcare through self-funded employer plans and people insured through BadgerCare and Medicaid, Solutran said.

Woodman's is the latest retail grocer to link up with the Healthy Savings program. Regionally, the program already was available at Pick 'n Save, Copp's and Metro Market locations.

It expanded at Woodman's this month after negotiations between Solutran and upgrades in checkout technology at Woodman's locations, Solutran Chief Marketing Officer Chad Kelly said.

How it Works: Locally, it allows customers who shop at Woodman's to save up to $50 a week automatically on fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, lean meats, whole grain breads, cereal, juices and beans.

Discounts for the most common, healthy food items are preloaded onto participants' accounts weekly, and participants' savings are automatically deducted from their grocery bills at the checkout of participating retailers such as Woodman's.

The savings come when customers who have the card or an app downloaded to their phone scan the card or a bar code on their phones. Healthy Savings maintains a rolling list of items at participating stores that would be discounted.

The savings, on average, amount to a maximum of about $50 a week, depending on what items a customer with the card would buy.

"It's a little bit different than some savings card programs, it's different than the programs where you're trying to earn points and then redeeming those points later. The way it works is that there's $50 new promotion value added to the card every week. So you don't have to clip or download coupons. You just automatically receive savings and get the savings at checkout," Kelly said.

Does your health care plan include Healthy Savings?

If your coverage is through UnitedHealthcare and your policy includes it, you either already received information in the mail on the program along with a bar-code card that customers would use at the checkout line.

People who have Healthy Savings available through their health plans have to activate Healthy Savings using steps provided in the mailing, Solutran said.

New mailers and cards are sent out periodically to remind people who have the program available that they can use it, Kelly said.

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