Wal-Mart is taking one-stop shopping to another area: health insurance.
Wal-Mart is taking one-stop shopping to another area: health insurance. (submitted photo)
The world’s largest retailer plans to work with DirectHealth.com, an online health insurance comparison site and agency, to allow shoppers to compare coverage options and enroll in Medicare plans or the public exchange plans created under the Affordable Care Act.
Wal-Mart says that the program targets shoppers who have been confused by the enrollment process and about their health insurance programs. They include those whose employers scaled back their coverage to those who don’t have any insurance. That has sent customers shopping around on various health care sites or at various kiosks set up by specific insurance companies.
With Wal-Mart program called “Healthcare Begins Here,” customers can enroll online, by phone or at 2,700 of Wal-Mart’s more than 4,000 stores, starting Oct. 10. The stores will be staffed with independent insurance agents from DirectHealth.com. Licensed Independent sales agent Jamie Brockman will staff the kiosk at the Oskaloosa Super Wal Mart and will be able to provide customers with several options. The health insurance program works this way: For customers over 65, DirectHealth.com offers access to more than 1,700 plans from 12 carriers including Aetna, Cigna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare during the Medicare open enrollment period from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. For customers under age 65, DirectHeath.com offers access to thousands of health exchange plans from more than 300 carriers.
That open enrollment period is Nov. 15 to Feb. 15.
Since 2005, Wal-Mart has hosted health insurance agents from individual insurers in stores to field questions and enroll customers. But with the Affordable Care Act, shoppers found the search for coverage more complicated.. Outside research that shows that more than 60 percent of people have difficulty understanding their health insurance options and nearly 40 percent feel they picked the wrong plan after enrollment.
OSKALOOSA WAL-MART HOURS AGENT WILL BE IN STORE
Friday Oct 10—9am-2pm
Sat Oct 11—-12pm-4pm
Starting October 13 every Monday-Thursday 9am-2pm through December 7
