Walgreen Co. is thinking of selling health insurance through a private exchange set up to help consumers find insurance coverage under the health reform law.
A spokesman for the Deerfield-based drugstore giant neither confirmed nor denied the plan. Spokesman Robert Elfinger said, “We’re looking at a number of options in light of health care reform as we continue to seek ways to help our customers better navigate today’s health care system.”
Walgreen already offers basic medical care through in-store clinics, and touts itself as a wellness provider and it will sell a variety of health insurance products with different levels of coverage and price ranges. The private healthcare exchanges, set to be operating in 2014 when President Obama’s health-reform mandates take effect, are designed to let consumers find policies at more affordable rates than they can now obtain directly from insurers.
Many companies are thought to jump into that market, as well. “For retailers, (an insurance exchange) is a way to generate more revenue from a new business,” said Chris Hoffman, chief marketing officer at investment banking firm TripleTree. “Those companies that get their exchanges up and running before 2014 could also succeed in stealing customers away from the public exchanges,” Hoffman said.
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