Dive Brief:
- Brick-and-mortar health insurance stores are becoming more popular and easier to access, reports LifeHealthPro.
- Retail stores for health insurance, which are located local shopping centers, offer guidance and customer service to help people shop for health plans, as well as the face-to-face time not available online.
- Possible downsides to brick-and-mortars include fears that this model will take away from brokers' business, and that consumers who go to one company's outlet won't benefit from the range of choices that the exchanges offer.
Dive Insight:
As FierceHealthPayer reports, payers are struggling to address changes in the market, with business models changing from employer-centric to consumer-centered. The brick-and-mortar model may help them distinguish themselves from their competitors — something, arguably, it can be difficult to do on the exchanges. This is a new era for health insurance, and this is just one of what is likely to be many insurer approaches to differentiating themselves.