PruHealth has joined with state healthcare bodies in backing the government's public health white paper.
The insurer believes the increasing need for individuals and employers to look after themselves could see a growth for private healthcare providers.
Tal Gilbert, head of research and development at PruHealth, welcomed the continued focus on improving the health of the population and also approved of the decision to make local authorities responsible for public health again.
He suggested this will help to ensure that communities are looking for relevant ways of improving health at a local level, and that it could create an environment where innovative new ideas can be introduced.
"Along with local responsibility, the white paper places a strong focus on individual and employer responsibility," Gilbert said.
"There are proposals to assist individuals and employers, including information provision, nudging tactics, and removing the barriers to healthy living (for example a £250m voucher scheme through Change4Life), but there will be little central guidance on specific actions. As a result, individuals and employers will increasingly look to other providers to support their efforts to improve their health.
"This could create an opportunity for insurers and advisers who have demonstrable ability to help people to improve their health," he added.
Gilbert also pointed out the value that can be gained from preventing illness and promoting public health, rather than simply treating symptoms.
"From our experience, initiatives to improve the health and wellbeing of a population are essential to maintain a sustainable healthcare system," he continued.
"We have seen through our Vitality programme that people who lead a healthier lifestyle incur costs which are 10-40% lower than those who don't. In order to achieve these dramatic reductions in healthcare costs, it is necessary to both remove the barriers to healthy living (e.g., increasing access and providing financial discounts) and provide stronger motivation through incentivising people to undertake healthy activities (through use of financial and non financial incentives).
"Using these mechanisms to encourage lifestyle change is particularly crucial at a time when there is increased pressure on healthcare finances and this applies both to the public and to the private sector," he concluded.
Both the NHS Confederation and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have supported the proposals, although the Confederation warned about the need for correct implementation and clarification of details and responsibility.
Nigel Edwards, acting chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: "Moving public health to local authorities should have many benefits as councils have greater potential to impact on the causes of ill health.
"Councils can help people improve their health in ways that the NHS cannot. However, it is important to get the implementation right, otherwise a good idea can do more harm than good. The white paper needs to be the start of a process of bringing together all the services and initiatives which help to support a healthier population.
"This kind of overarching approach is particularly important in improving mental health and well-being where community-based services are vital," he concluded.
Edwards added that the details of how various organisations work together needed to be worked out and a clear path of ensuring accountability was also required.
