Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is expanding its retail store concept into the east metro.
The Eagan-based health insurer will open a 4,700-square-foot location at 1647B County Road B2 W. in the Crossroads of Roseville Mall later this year.
It opened its flagship 3,400-square-foot store in Edina last year.
Employees at the new Roseville location will provide customer service to existing Blue Cross members and assist newcomers with choosing and enrolling in health plans, Blue Cross said Wednesday.
Health insurers nationwide have opened retail locations in recent years, partly to target a growing number of consumers purchasing individual health coverage.
Among the players that have expanded into retail are Blue Cross plans in other states, Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente.
Sales at the Blue Cross store in Edina exceeded the insurer’s expectations last year’s enrollment season, a spokesperson said.
“We were very pleased with the community’s embrace of our first retail store, and this new opportunity in Roseville will help even more people better understand their options and plan benefits,” Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota President and CEO Michael Guyette said in a news release. “We know from our experiences at the Edina location that people appreciate getting to sit down and talk with someone about their health plan. This is why we are committed to expanding this level of service.”
Date: July 29, 2015