BCBS Florida Launches Mobile Web Site

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BSBSF; Jacksonville, Fla.) has launched a mobile Web site on which members can check their balances, benefits and find doctors.

Non-members can use the site to shop for insurance, get a quote and select a plan. Both members and non-members can get weather forecasts with health alerts such as pollen, air quality and UV levels, real-time information on Florida Blue center health events based on their location, health facts that can be shared on Facebook and Twitter and ringtones, as well as enter sweepstakes.

Members who leave a doctor’s office with a prescription can use the site to compare costs at local pharmacies as well. A major goal of BCBSF’s mobile strategy is to take advantage of mobile’s location-based services.

“We want [customers] to be able to reach us anytime of the day at their convenience — in person at our Florida Blue centers, by phone… and now, from their mobile phone,” Craig Thomas, chief marketing and strategy officer for BCBSF, says in a statement. “We want to have an active partnership role with our consumers in their health care decisions-helping them to access services, manage health conditions and stay healthy."

Adriana Murillo, director of strategic development for BCBSF, adds that BCBSF will launch an iPhone application later this year. The company also is planning a text messaging program designed to help members improve their health, she says.

The site is compatible with Blackberry, Apple (iPhone/iPad) and Android phones, the company says.

Humana, another health insurer, launched an iPhone game earlier this month. The company already has mobile capabilities similar to what BCBSF will begin offering this year, Paul Puopolo, director of consumer innovation, told Insurance & Technology.

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio