Osteoporosis patients gain relief from insurance providers

Fitness training for osteoporosis sufferers could be the latest program covered in a trend of health insurers providing benefits for wellness. Major insurance companies, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Aetna Inc. and Cigna Corp., are covering therapeutic exercise services for men and women with osteoporosis. Health insurers tend to be open to coverage of benefits that keep consumers out of the hospital, where medical care can be more costly. The Midwest Business Group on Health says three in five employers are providing or plan to provide cash and other incentives to motivate their workers to use preventive medical-care services to curb illness.