Dive Brief:
- Health insurers have begun to partner with organizations that operate health screening kiosks to get data that could help them market to kiosk users.
- These kiosks, which are typically located in supermarkets and drugstores, allow consumers to check their weight and blood pressure; the kiosk make money by selling advertisements for the space around the machines.
- Payers are now gathering data such as names, email addresses, and phone numbers from kiosk vendors to help them enroll individuals in health plans under the Affordable Care Act.
Dive Insight:
Selling policies to consumers who use kiosks makes sense. After all, a health plan would certainly prefer to take on as beneficiaries patients who are doing something to look after their health. And while a record of using kiosks in public places doesn't constitute proof that the patient is healthy, it's not a bad place to start. I expect to see health plans do more partnering of this kind for the next few months while open enrollment remains available to consumers.