Forgot your co-pay amount? There's an app for that. Posted: December 6th, 2010

In recent years, the use of smart phones has skyrocketed. These devices--which can make your phone seem more like a computer than a phone--do everything from email to banking to household tasks. Now, a Xerox Company subsidiary has released two applications that allow users of the popular iPhone to better manage their health care.

The Benefits Genie and Benefits Genie Lite applications can store information such as:

• Allergies
• Immunization records
• Co-payment and deductible amounts
• Appointment reminders
• Physician contact information

In the full version of the application, consumers also have access to quizzes, recipes and a benefits dictionary. Both versions utilize a consumer-created PIN to secure stored information.

Buck Consultants, the applications' developer, touts the applications as first of their kind. While Benefits Genie and Benefits Genie Lite may allow users to input data from any health plan, some insurers such as Aetna and Cigna already offer their own mobile applications for iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices.

Mobile applications provided directly by health insurance companies are often provided free of charge. However, there is a fee for both the Benefits Genie and Benefits Genie Lite programs.