Wellpoint Invests in Consumer Health Kiosks

About a year ago, we asked "Would You Get a Health Insurance Quote At the Airport?" as a kiosk developed by Independence Blue Cross allows patrons of the Philadelphia Airport to do.

Well, it seems that enough people are willing to do so to cause other insurers to take a look at reaching health-conscious consumers through this type of experience. According to a report on I&T sister site InformationWeek Healthcare, Wellpoint is investing in SoloHealth, a company that operates consumer health kiosks in nearly 300 retail locations across the country.

Solohealth's CEO, Bart Foster, tells InformationWeek there are discussions about asking consumers whether they'd like to swipe their insurance card when they enter a kiosk. "You capture various biometric data and that's sent back to the plan sponsor or the large employer," he said.

The report continues:

Why would a consumer want to do that? Foster noted that many health plans and employers already provide incentives to employees to complete health risk assessments (HRAs); the kiosk would provide another version of an HRA with actual health data attached to it. This could also be part of a company wellness program, he said.

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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