Kaiser’s Storefront Enrollment Strategy

When it comes to getting the word out to boost health plan enrollment as part of the Affordable Care Act, Kaiser Permanente has gone retail.

The Oakland-based Kaiser has rented spaces in a variety of shopping malls in Northern California and staffed them with healthcare navigators to provide information about the ACA and assist patrons to enroll in health insurance policies through the Covered California health insurance exchange.

The initiative, known as ShopKP, was launched on Oct. 1. It is among the most direct of the marketing efforts by an insurer in the Golden State to push the ACA and use of the Covered California exchange.

Kaiser has hired more than 40 people for the effort. All are certified plan-based enrollers, better known as healthcare Navigators, who are specially designated to provide assistance in helping individuals enroll through the insurance exchanges. They are also licensed by the California Department of Insurance to sell health coverage.

“We know people have a lot of questions about healthcare reform, how to get coverage, and what kind of financial assistance might be available to them. We want to make it easy and convenient for them to get the answers they’re seeking in places they are every day,” said Wade Overgaard, Kaiser's senior vice president for California Health Plan operations. 

ShopKP follows on the heels of two kiosks Kaiser opened at shopping malls in San Francisco and Roseville last fall to provide information to consumers about the ACA. More than 10,000 inquiries have been made to date. Kaiser then opened up additional “pop-up” stores in Northern California over the summer, also to provide information.

Kaiser officials learned that few consumers had much knowledge about the reform law, the most important components of which will be rolling out early next year.

The new effort is less transient. Store space has been rented at locales in Sacramento, San Jose, Fresno and Modesto, with a sixth locale planned for Stockton in December. The spaces will be open year-round, with enrollment assistance offered on-site. Patrons can receive help enrolling in both Kaiser and non-Kaiser health plans, a Kaiser spokesperson said.

In addition to the static sites, Kaiser is also dispatching two branded enrollment vehicles throughout the San Joaquin Valley in the coming months with secure Internet connections and private rooms inside to help individuals enroll. 

The intense focus on Central California makes sense, according to Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access, a group that focuses on expanding health insurance coverage to lower-income populations. He noted that rates of uninsured in the region average about 25%, compared to 20% statewide. Many counties also have household incomes well below the statewide average, meaning more families are likely to be eligible for subsidies to purchase coverage.

“It creates paying customers where there weren't any before,” said Wright, who is also a member of the Payers & Providers editorial board.

Kaiser has launched a similar effort in the Pacific Northwest, where it also operates. A decision has yet to be made about expanding the ShopKP effort into Southern California, which operates as a division separate from Northern California. Kaiser spokesperson Marc Brown said ShopKP is considered a pilot project for now.

“We will apply lessons from this effort going forward,” Brown said about a potential expansion to other regions in the future.