*By Conor White*
John Hancock Insurance wants its customers living long, healthy lives, but until now the company's "Vitality" program had been neglecting an important part of that formula.
"Who should care more about you living a long healthy life than your life insurance company?" asked Brooks Tingle, president and CEO of John Hancock Insurance. "So when we came out with the program, it really started by emphasizing physical activity, then we added some nutritional elements, preventative screenings, but we realized we were missing a really important pillar, which is mental health."
To that end, John Hancock Vitality life insurance is introducing "HealthyMind", a new initiative encouraging customers to improve their mental health. In an interview Monday on Cheddar, Tingle explained the company's approach.
"We're starting, really, with what we call 'mindfulness'," said Tingle, "with meditation being the best example of that. We're also offering incentives and rewards for a good night's sleep."
Smartphone apps and wearable devices will integrate with "HealthyMind" so users can keep track of their statistics and vitals. The service also includes a free one-year subscription to Headspace, a digital service providing guided meditation sessions and mindfulness training. "HealthyMind" is being rolled out after repeated requests from customers, said Tingle.
"We have a lot of Vitality customers now," he said. "We've been offering this for three years now, and we regularly survey our customers to ask what's missing, what would you like to see added, and meditation support was actually the No. 1 request."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/signing-off-on-healthier-customers).
Starbucks’ decision to restrict its restrooms to paying customers has flushed out a wider problem: a patchwork of restroom use policies that varies by state and city. Starbucks announced last week a new code of conduct that says people need to make a purchase if they want to hang out or use the restroom. The coffee chain's policy change for bathroom privileges has left Americans confused and divided over who gets to go and when. The American Restroom Association, a public toilet advocacy group, was among the critics. Rules about restroom access in restaurants vary by state, city and county. The National Retail Federation says private businesses have a right to limit restroom use.
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