Kaiser’s Exchange Enrollment Retail Program To Last Through 2014
Kaiser Permanente has opened five retail stores across Northern California that will operate throughout 2014 to help residents sign up for health insurance through Covered California, the state health insurance exchange, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Covered California's open enrollment period ends March 31, 2014 (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 11/12).
Details of ShopKP
The ShopKP initiative -- which launched Oct. 1 -- follows a Kaiser program last year that installed two kiosks at shopping malls in San Francisco and Roseville to educate consumers about the Affordable Care Act. As of last month, the kiosks had received more than 10,000 inquiries.
The retail stores will include on-site certified enrollment navigators who are licensed by the state Department of Insurance. Kaiser has hired 40 navigators for the initiative.
At the stores, consumers can enroll in both Kaiser and non-Kaiser health plans offered through the state exchange (California Healthline, 10/24).
Some ShopKP staff will be bilingual in Spanish and English, and staff members working at call centers will speak additional languages.
The insurer recently began advertising the stores in English and Spanish radio advertisements.
Store Locations
The initiative uses retail space in:
- Fresno;
- Modesto;
- Natomas;
- Sacramento; and
- San Jose.
Another location in Stockton is planned for December.
The locations were selected based on high numbers of uninsured residents in the area, according to the Journal (Sacramento Business Journal, 11/12).
In addition to the retail spaces, Kaiser is deploying two enrollment vehicles in San Joaquin Valley in the coming months. The vehicles will be equipped with:
- A secure Internet connection; and
- Private rooms where individuals can enroll in exchange plans (California Healthline, 10/24).