Recent research proves that more than 60 percent of people have
difficulty understanding their health insurance plan options and nearly
40 percent feel they picked the wrong plan after enrollment.* To bring
transparency and simplicity to the changing health insurance market,
Walmart is working with DirectHealth.com to launch Healthcare Begins
Here, an in-store program designed to educate customers on health
insurance options. DirectHealth.com, an online health insurance
comparison site which is an independent licensed health insurance
agency, will provide a resource that brings Walmart customers
unprecedented access to health insurance information and enrollment
support.
DirectHealth.com also manages relationships with licensed insurance
agents, enabling customers to compare coverage options and enroll in the
plan that is right for them whether that be a Medicare plan or Public
Healthcare Exchange plan through online, phone and in-store services.
“Walmart has long been known for innovation in health and wellness, and
we’ll never stop delivering new products and services to the 140 million
people who visit our stores each week,” said Labeed Diab, senior vice
president and president, Health & Wellness, Walmart U.S. “For years, our
customers have told us that there is too much complexity when it comes
to understanding their health insurance options. Healthcare
Begins Here addresses that complexity by bringing clarity and
increased choice to the insurance enrollment process through
DirectHealth.com.”
Since 2005, Walmart has hosted insurance agents from individual insurers
in stores to answer questions and enroll customers in specific
healthcare plans. Healthcare Begins Here, through
DirectHealth.com, takes this offering to the next level in
response to customers who wanted more options to choose from.
For customers over 65:
-
DirectHealth.com offers access to more than 1,700 plans from 12
leading carriers including Aetna, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare and
participating Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies.**
-
Customers can compare and enroll in health plans online at
DirectHealth.com or over the phone at 888-383-2111.
-
2,700 Walmart stores will be staffed by independent, licensed health
insurance agents from DirectHealth.com that can help customers enroll
in certain health insurance plans. Agents can also help provide
education and guidance on other insurance options.
-
Enrollment can take place during the Medicare open enrollment period
from Oct. 15, 2014 through Dec. 7, 2014.
For customers under 65:
-
DirectHealth.com offers access to thousands of Health Exchange plans
from more than 300 leading carriers.
-
Customers can compare and enroll in health plans online at
DirectHealth.com or over the phone at 888-327-0388.
-
2,700 Walmart stores will be staffed by independent, licensed agents
from DirectHealth.com who can help provide education and guidance
about health insurance options.
-
The Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment period takes place
from Nov. 15, 2014 to Feb. 15, 2015.
* According to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
**Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is an association of independent
Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save
money and live better – anytime and anywhere -- in retail stores,
online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 245
million customers and members visit our 11,000 stores under 71 banners
in 27 countries and ecommerce websites in 10 countries. With fiscal year
2014 sales of over $473 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million
associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in
sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.
Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com
on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart
and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.
Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com
and http://www.samsclub.com.
About DirectHealth.com
DirectHealth.com is an insurance agency, contracted with TZ Insurance
Solutions LLC.
About TZ Insurance Solutions, LLC
TZ Insurance is a wholly owned subsidiary of TRANZACT, a large company
providing direct-to-consumer services in the insurance sector. Based in
Fort Lee, NJ, TZ Insurance has 1,000 employees, of which more than 700
are licensed insurance agents across life, health and property and
casualty insurances.
Copyright Business Wire 2014