Humana Enlists 'Gurus' To Spread the Word on Health

Two celebrated anti-aging experts are joining Humana Inc. in what the company calls a multi-media campaign to turn passive healthcare users into active healthcare consumers.
Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz, co-authors of the best-sellers "You: The Owners Manual" and "You: The Smart Patient," will work with Humana on a targeted ad campaign and radio promotions to drive consumers to Humana’s Web site for health information.
Humana, a Lexington, Ky.-based health benefits company, also will sponsor Dr. Roizen’s radio show.
“Together,” says Dr. Roizen, “we'll work to increase your understanding of your body--so that you will have all the tools and knowledge you need to take the best possible care of it as you can."
Roizen and Oz, popularly known as anti-aging gurus and referred to as the “The You Docs,” offer advice on living longer, more vibrant lives. They tout an ounce of nuts as the perfect snack and endorse daily walks as the foundation for “waist” management.
The relationship with the authors will help build the Humana brand, says Michael B. McCallister, Humana president and chief executive officer. "These initiatives also help us to 'make real' our brand promise of 'Guidance when you need it most,' " says McCallister.
Dr. Roizen has been named one of the 1,000 best doctors in the United States each of the last nine years. He serves as chair of the Division of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine and Pain Management at the Cleveland Clinic, where he also practices internal medicine and anesthesiology.
Dr. Oz, teaches surgery at Columbia University and serves as vice chairman of the Cardiovascular Department at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
In other Humana news, 17,000 State Farm agents are getting the opportunity to sell Humana’s Medicare Advantage private fee for service plans for 2007. The agents are located throughout the United States, giving Medicare recipients easy access to help in understanding and enrolling in medical and pharmacy health benefit plans.
State Farm agents sold about 200,000 Humana stand-alone prescription drug plans in 2006. Nationally, Humana enrolled about 3.5 million people with Medicare in the stand-alone drug plans, the company says.
Source: Humana