In the past three years, MassMutual has been adding more mental health and wellness services for policy owners. The newest addition? AI mental health.
Through a new partnership with Boston-based Wysa Ltd., MassMutual is now offering access to Wysa Assure, an AI-powered conversational mental health app.
The app provides 24/7 mental health support and several scientifically backed tools that help users cope with everyday challenges like anxiety, motivation, stress, sleep, and productivity. It also provides a well-being score to help users maintain focus on their mental and emotional health.
According to Fox, MassMutual's additional mental health support results from a three-year wellness journey.
The wellness approach allows the insurance company to look at the major drivers of mortality, like cardiovascular disease and cancer, more holistically, including mental well-being in addition to the physical.
- Sign up for The Beat, BostInno’s free daily innovation newsletter. See past examples here.
“If we want to address cardiovascular disease holistically, we can't purely look at the physical,” said Adam Fox, head of distribution technology & data science at MassMutual. “We have to look at the physical and mental, and that's why we went out to look for an opportunity to provide mental health support for policyholders.”
With Wysa, policyholders can take an individualized approach to their mental health. The app has different functions that help users address a specific area that may be causing them stress, from sleep to anxiety and mindfulness.
Cognitive behavioral approaches, gamification, and goal setting are used to aid users in journaling, guided meditation, and other mental health exercises on their journey to better mental health.
Fox says the app isn’t intended to replace a therapist, but as a supplement to help individuals who feel they might not need the one-on-one support of a therapist. If a Wysa user needs more professional help, the app can also connect a policyholder with other services, Fox said.
In addition to Wysa Assure, MassMutual has made other health and wellness program tools available through partnerships with GRAIL, a multi-cancer early detection test, and Genomics plc, which offers a genetic risk assessment service.
“Wysa is to exercise as a therapist is to a doctor. One is sort of to maintain and sort of improve everyday health, whereas the other is really for targeted, specific issues and challenges that someone may have,” Fox said.
