Inflection 7: Paying Workers Displaced by AI with a Self-Health Income Program

Introducing a Bold New Incentive Program to Transform
U.S. Health and the Economy by 2035

In a future reshaped by AI, where traditional jobs are increasingly automated, the value of staying healthy is no longer just personal—it is becoming economic. Imagine a national program where individuals can earn supplemental income and receive insurance discounts by achieving and maintaining verifiable health improvements.

The Strategy: Reward Health, Not Just Treatment

We currently pay people to treat symptoms, not to achieve outcomes. What if we flipped the script?

This Self-Health Income Program proposes to:

• Reward individuals who reduce measurable chronic disease risks (weight, blood pressure, A1C, etc.).
• Pay bonuses for sustained verified improvements over 6- and 12-month periods.
• Provide insurance discounts or flexible benefits for ongoing participation.
• Feed the healthcare workforce pipeline with people who’ve already walked the transformation path.
• Offer priority access to job training in the growing fields of wellness, caregiving, health coaching, and digital health support.

This system would not only reduce the burden of chronic disease but reinvest those savings directly into the people and communities making change possible.

Steps to Execution

Step 1: Pilot Programs in Key Communities

• Launch test pilots through Medicaid waivers, VA hospitals, and large employers.
• Choose communities already burdened by high chronic disease rates and low health equity.

Step 2: Create a Health Outcome Verification System

• Develop secure, HIPAA-compliant platforms similar to medical portals for users to log, validate, and track outcomes (e.g., weight loss, improved blood glucose, inflammation markers).
• Integrate with existing wearables, at-home lab services, and primary care providers.

Step 3: Develop a Scalable Incentive Model

• Payments tied to outcomes, not activities.
• Tiered rewards for improvement, maintenance, and mentorship.
• Bonuses for participation in structured health coaching or peer-support programs.

Step 4: Engage Stakeholders for Fund and Endorsement

• Health insurers
• State Medicaid programs
• Employers and unions
• Federal agencies (HHS, USDA, DOL)
• Foundations focused on economic and health equity

Step 5: Public-Private Scaling Strategy

• Use success stories to inspire private sector adoption.
• Develop tax incentives for businesses offering complementary programs.

Examples of Aligned Programs Already in Motion

• Blue Zones Projects: Demonstrated community-wide improvements in health metrics and longevity by shifting environments and behaviors.
• Virta Health: Offers health-insurance-funded digital coaching that has reversed Type 2 diabetes in thousands of patients.
• Sharecare’s SmartDollar Program: Uses reward-based platforms to encourage healthier behaviors through digital engagement.
• Workplace Wellness Programs at GE, Johnson & Johnson, and Safeway: Have documented healthcare savings and productivity gains tied to health behavior incentives.

These programs show the viability of outcome-based incentives—but they could use federal and state-level support, equity components, and a path to scale for underrepresented communities.

Key Resources That Can Be Recruited

• Tech Partners: Apple Health, Oura, Fitbit, Dexcom, Levels Health
• Health Coach Networks: National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC), Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)
• Digital Health Startups: Virta, Omada, Wellory, Better Therapeutics
• Policy Champions: Bipartisan leaders interested in cost reduction, workforce development, and public health
• Funding Agencies: NIH, PCORI, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Gates Foundation

Why It Works

• Saves money by reducing preventable diseases—healthier people mean fewer ER visits, hospital stays, and prescription drugs.
• Empowers individuals—especially those in economically struggling communities—to earn while building a better future.
• Reduces the care gap by turning health achievers into mentors, workers, and leaders in the next wave of care delivery.
• Mitigates job loss from AI by creating meaningful human-centered roles in a new healing economy.

What Success Looks Like by 2035

• Millions of Americans are receiving incentive income for improving health.
• Chronic disease rates are measurably reduced across demographic groups.
• Tens-of-thousands of new jobs are created in coaching, digital health, and community support.
• Billions saved in healthcare costs—reallocated into reinvestment, not just treatment.
• A society that no longer views health as a privilege—but as a pathway to prosperity.

This is more than wishful thinking—it’s a transformative idea whose time has come. Let’s roll!

Truth, Clarity, & the Fine Print

Are You Interested in Making a Difference? Click here to get involved with the LBNC Ten Year Health Transformation Challenge. Let’s work together to make the U.S. the 4th healthiest nation in the world by 2035.

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Life by Natural Causes (LBNC) is a Knowledge-to-Health Outcomes Learning System designed to engage users in behavior changes that will result in positive health outcomes, all under the guidance of their own health team. LBNC, currently in Beta development, has a launch target of 3QCY25.

Medical Disclaimer: Only licensed MDs are authorized to make medical claims. We connect you with professionals trained to support and optimize your health outcomes. Always consult your physician — ideally one trained in functional medicine — or another qualified provider regarding any medical concerns.

Editorial Disclaimer: Our Take is an opinion series from the Life by Natural Causes (LBNC) team, offering our perspective on health, wellness, and the systems that shape them. Grounded in research and real-world experience, these views reflect our mission to inspire healthier outcomes. We invite you to reflect—and share your take with us.