Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is opening a health insurance retail store - called Highmark Direct - in a Pittsburgh shopping center. The company says it will be the first health insurer in Pennsylvania to offer its products through a brick-and-mortar store.
Highmark Direct will sell health insurance plans to individuals, seniors and small businesses. The store also plans to provide informational seminars and educational information about other Highmark member benefits, such as smoking cessation programs, new mother seminars, and consultations with nutritionists.
"As the health insurance market becomes increasingly consumer-driven, health insurers are positioning themselves to meet growing demands for health insurance products and information through retail marketing channels," said Steven Nelson, vice president of consumerism and retail marketing at Highmark. "We want to give consumers a one-on-one experience with a retail representative in a retail setting so that we can provide clear and concise information to help them select the health insurance plan that is right for them."
According to a recent study from McKinsey & Company, a national consulting firm, consumers bear 25 percent - the same percentage as employers contribute - of the $2 trillion spent annually on healthcare.
"If consumers are going to be responsible for their healthcare, then they need to understand it," said Nelson. "Highmark knows that both purchasing and using health insurance is confusing. Between health insurance terminology, such as HMO, PPO and HSA, and insurance usage requirements, such as co-pays, deductibles and formularies, consumers are often confused and frustrated."
Nelson said that when a consumer visits the Highmark Direct store, they can meet one-on-one with a Highmark sales associate to discuss health insurance options and apply in-store for health insurance coverage.
Highmark Direct plans to sell health insurance policies to consumers such as individuals who do not currently receive health insurance through their employer, seniors who are looking to supplement existing health insurance, and small business owners who want to provide health insurance options for their employees.
The store will also feature self-service kiosks where customers can shop for health insurance plans on their own or research additional Highmark member benefits. The Highmark Direct store will also hold seminars on health insurance topics at a variety of times throughout the month.
The Highmark Direct store in Pittsburgh's McKnight Seibert Shopping Center is scheduled to open in early 2009. Nelson said the store would be a sales outlet for consumers who do not currently have Highmark products.
Pittsburgh-based Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield serves 3.1 million members. The company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.