Humana Inc. said it will set up a joint venture to provide employers and health plan members with new wellness programs and services that reward workers for staying healthy.

Louisville-based Humana, one of the nation’s largest health insurance companies, said it will create a new company, based in Chicago, with Discovery Holdings of South Africa. Discovery owns the Vitality brand of wellness programs and services which work somewhat like airline miles in how they reward workers to stay healthy.

The companies said the “use of incentives is pivotal to changing behavior,” the companies said in a joint statement. “In 2010 alone, the (Vitality) program provided its members more than 500,000 flights, nearly 20,000 hotel stays and 3.5 million movie tickets for meeting lifestyle-modification goals.”

“This joint venture fits perfectly with Humana’s consumer-focused strategy that integrates health, wellness and lifelong well-being as our platform for future growth,” said Humana chairman and chief executive officer Michael McCallister. “HumanaVitality … unites Discovery’s wellness expertise and ability to integrate rewards with health, and Humana’s demonstrated innovation in consumer engagement that fosters positive behavior change.”

The deal calls for Humana to “capitalize a new entity” called a new entity called HumanaVitality with an undisclosed amount of money. Discovery will hold a 25 percent stake in the venture. Seperately, Humana will acquire a 25 percent stake in The Vitality Group, Discovery’s U.S. subsidiary. Neither Discovery nor Humana would disclose the amount of money changing hands in the transaction, which a press release said this morning was still subject to approval by the South African Reserve Bank.

bjapsen@tribune.com