Seems like a PR move more than anything else.
I'm tired of hearing about all of these weird benefits. How about just an awesome place to work that pays well?
If it's a PR move then they think the public they're relating to is dumb as hell because they're giving $500 to their employees instead of paying out the legitimate claims they're supposed to, causing doctors to drop them en masse while the customers left stuck with them have no place to get proper medical service.
Weird benefits are a result of employers trying to incentivize their workers to behave in certain ways.
For example, the weird benefit that many US companies give their employees reduced healthcare premiums if they certify that they are tobacco-free