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How much of that income is spent on healthcare, food, and housing? 40% americans can't afford an unexpected $400 bill [0] https://abcnews.go.com/US/10-americans

How much of that income is spent on healthcare, food, and housing? 40% americans can't afford an unexpected $400 bill [0] https://abcnews.go.com/US/10-americans-struggle-cover-400-emergency-expense-federal/story?id=63253846#:~:text=Almost%2040%25%20of%20American%20adults,a%20Federal%20Reserve%20survey%20finds https://abcnews.go.com/US/10-americans-struggle-cover-400-em....

breck 6y ago
$200 spent on a FitBit will save thousands on annual healthcare bills.
- calebegg 6y ago
  [citation needed]
  - breck 6y ago
    https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=fitbit https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=fitbit Betting against this trend would be like betting against toothbrushes and floss.
    - Dylan16807 6y ago
      I'm not saying it's not useful, but I doubt the typical user is going to save all that much money. Unless a fitbit convinces my insurance company to drop their rates in half, I'm not saving thousands. If I google insurance savings I see... they'll get me a moderate discount on the fitbit itself.
  - joshuamarksmith 6y ago
    There's entire companies built around this data. In fact, one of my former employees partnered with one and paid for my FitBit. In the aggregate, FitBit purchases will drive down the probability of healthcare claims, saving the company money overall.
- ghaff 6y ago
  Someone using a FitBit as part of shifting to a healthier lifestyle may result in better health outcomes (and presumably lower costs) but there's no "will save thousands on annual healthcare bills" about it. Certainly just wearing a FitBit has zero effect on health if you don't do anything based on the collected data.
  - breck 6y ago
    > Certainly just wearing a FitBit has zero effect on health if you don't do anything based on the collected data. Surprisingly, even this I disagree with. Simply buying one nudges the healthcare world to a more data driven place, and simply wearing one provides data and feedback to the ecosystem that will have a positive value. That being said, yeah you should look at the data if you personally want to benefit.
    - abawany 6y ago
      I attribute my Garmin Vivoactive HR to pushing me from chronic sitting to being reasonably active and its heart-rate monitoring alerts for letting me know when something was off. I agree with you that spending money to get a good device is worth it, especially since my Garmin has lasted me 4 years without issues.
      - breck 6y ago
        That's so awesome! Thanks for sharing!
    - ghaff 6y ago
      Buying one also probably also pre-supposes that you care--at least in principle. I agree it can be a useful nudge. I have friends who totally swear by their FitBits. And that's great. Personally, I'm fairly active--at least at a walking level of activity day to day--and quantifying the number of steps I take or whatever just doesn't really do anything for me. But I'm a big believer in nudges generally and I expect that, over time, we'll see more and more data that is more directly actionable. I just don't really see it (for me) today.

breck 6y ago

$200 spent on a FitBit will save thousands on annual healthcare bills.

calebegg 6y ago
[citation needed]
- breck 6y ago
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=fitbit https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=fitbit Betting against this trend would be like betting against toothbrushes and floss.
  - Dylan16807 6y ago
    I'm not saying it's not useful, but I doubt the typical user is going to save all that much money. Unless a fitbit convinces my insurance company to drop their rates in half, I'm not saving thousands. If I google insurance savings I see... they'll get me a moderate discount on the fitbit itself.
- joshuamarksmith 6y ago
  There's entire companies built around this data. In fact, one of my former employees partnered with one and paid for my FitBit. In the aggregate, FitBit purchases will drive down the probability of healthcare claims, saving the company money overall.
ghaff 6y ago
Someone using a FitBit as part of shifting to a healthier lifestyle may result in better health outcomes (and presumably lower costs) but there's no "will save thousands on annual healthcare bills" about it. Certainly just wearing a FitBit has zero effect on health if you don't do anything based on the collected data.
- breck 6y ago
  > Certainly just wearing a FitBit has zero effect on health if you don't do anything based on the collected data. Surprisingly, even this I disagree with. Simply buying one nudges the healthcare world to a more data driven place, and simply wearing one provides data and feedback to the ecosystem that will have a positive value. That being said, yeah you should look at the data if you personally want to benefit.
  - abawany 6y ago
    I attribute my Garmin Vivoactive HR to pushing me from chronic sitting to being reasonably active and its heart-rate monitoring alerts for letting me know when something was off. I agree with you that spending money to get a good device is worth it, especially since my Garmin has lasted me 4 years without issues.
    - breck 6y ago
      That's so awesome! Thanks for sharing!
  - ghaff 6y ago
    Buying one also probably also pre-supposes that you care--at least in principle. I agree it can be a useful nudge. I have friends who totally swear by their FitBits. And that's great. Personally, I'm fairly active--at least at a walking level of activity day to day--and quantifying the number of steps I take or whatever just doesn't really do anything for me. But I'm a big believer in nudges generally and I expect that, over time, we'll see more and more data that is more directly actionable. I just don't really see it (for me) today.