Lucky Super Market in the Bay Area Adds on a Blue Shield Health Insurance Store

We have had retail clinics and this is a tiny bit of a clinic in the fact that you can get your blood pressure taken and a few common screenings. How does this work, do you now buy your health insurance by the pound <grin>. Ok I was being a bit funny here as the policy would not sit well on the scales with your apples and oranges that we do pay for by the pound, although with doing body mass indexing at the store, you might be paying in the long run by the pound.

This is the first retail store in the west and other carriers have a few locations across the US and United just opened on in the Queens are of New York a few days ago along with getting a new General Counsel who was a former US Attorney for the state.

United Healthcare Opens Retail “Employer Benefits” Store in Queens New York And Hires Former Minnesota US Assistant Attorney General As General Counsel

I did see consults available but not sure if you can march in with a medical claim dispute or are those on aisle 6? How many would love to walk and in discuss a denied claim in person? I would say that would definitely get some foot traffic. BD

At a Lucky supermarket in San Francisco, shoppers will be able to pick up some health insurance along with their fruits and vegetables.

Blue Shield of California will open a 500-square-foot brick-and-mortar store within the supermarket Monday as a way to attract new customers and serve existing members who may want to talk to an insurance representative face- to-face rather than over the phone or by e-mail.

The concept is not brand new. In recent years, similar retail outlets for health insurance have cropped up in other parts of the country. But Blue Shield is the first health insurer in California to have a retail presence.

In addition to selling insurance and answering questions about bills or coverage, the insurance store in the city's Western Addition will offer automated body mass index and body fat measurements, on-site blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol screenings, personal health assessments and consultations with a registered nurse. The screenings will be free to members and will cost nonmembers $45.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/05/BA1G1LPB22.DTL