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Why This Insurer Wants You to Wear a Health Tracker Wearable tech meets rewards at a growing health insurance company.

By Matt Villano

This story appears in the May 2015 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Misfit
Fit fashion: The Misfit Mesh Band.

While investors and venture capitalists struggle to find ways to monetize wearable technology, New York-based Oscar Insurance has made it a critical component of policyholders' daily lives.

Customers can request a plastic, Bluetooth-enabled Misfit Flash pendant for free and wear it to keep track of daily activity and sleep goals as defined by Oscar. When a Misfit user reaches a goal, the news is reported to Oscar automatically through an app on the policyholder's smartphone.

Those who meet their goals can earn up to $1 a day (a maximum of $20 per month and $240 a year), paid in the form of Amazon gift cards. Typical daily targets include taking 10,000 steps or walking roughly 5 miles, sleeping more than seven hours a night and getting up to move every 30 minutes.