Capital Blue Cross Connect Centers offer insurance advice, wellness, community

Capital Blue Cross opened its first Connect Center in Lehigh Valley more than 10 years ago with the idea of helping people navigate new insurance programs.

Since then, the Connect Centers have become community-oriented sites where people can learn about nutrition, get baseline health screenings, and take exercise classes.

Dave Skerpon, Capital Blue Cross senior vice president, sales and marketing, said, “Prior to the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in March of 2010, the number of uninsured Americans continued to grow year over year, particularly during economic downturns. By 2013, the year before the major coverage provisions of the ACA went into effect, more than 44 million Americans lacked coverage. “

Skerpon said the PPACA effectively boosted consumer participation in healthcare choices. Capital Blue Cross, he said, wanted to offer assistance to its members in understanding the challenges and opportunities with the new law.

“We saw an opportunity to offer a face-to-face experience to help people shop for individual Medicare, and small group insurance. Because Lehigh Valley represented a significant portion of our market share, we selected Saucon Valley as our first location, and in December 2012 opened our first Capital Blue Cross Connect Center in the Promenade Shops” Skerpon said.

The success of the Connect Center in Center Valley has led the company to open Connect Centers in Enola, Chambersburg, York and at its headquarters at 1221 Hamilton Street in Allentown.

The idea to offer face-to-face insurance information to anyone, not just Capital Blue Cross members, quickly drew feedback that the community wanted more, said Mike Crnovic, Capital Blue Cross director, retail services, who runs the Connect Centers.

Customers also wanted quality of life choices. Crnovic said people asked about nutrition while seeking insurance advice, so Capital Blue Cross hired a nutrition counselor to meet with them.

Seeing the need for nutrition advice, the company decided to offer biometric screenings for things like cholesterol, body mass index and more. The screenings, he said, are just that. People are referred to their primary care physicians for advice on any results.

He said that a variety of health seminars, wellness programs, and exercise classes are also offered onsite and virtually to help people improve their health.

The Promenade location, the largest of the centers, is an open floorplan intended to make people feel comfortable talking about not so comfortable issues, Crnovic said. A recent makeover after the pandemic makes the space feel open with natural lighting and neutral décor.

“People can walk in and ask a simple question or get information on a variety of plans and how to know what’s included and what’s not and compare prices,” he said. “Not everyone chooses Captial Blue Cross plans, but most do.”

While the floor plan is open, Capital Blue Cross incorporated private rooms for more in-depth insurance conversations.

“Our licensed representatives meet face to face with customers to simplify the process, explain their options, and help enroll them in a plan that best meets their needs and budget. Our representatives also help members with questions about their Capital Blue Cross health coverage, including questions about claims, out-of-pocket costs, searching for providers, and more,” Crnovic said.

“The key differentiator is our face-to-face experience. We strive to go the extra mile, and our success has been confirmed with strong scores on our satisfaction surveys,” Skerpon said. “In addition, we have a full 360-degree experience with our customers. We foster and build relationships because customers that have Capital Blue Cross insurance can meet with the same representative to have questions answered, service issues resolved, and be referred to a health coach for guidance and a plan to achieve their health goals.”

Both Crnovic and Skerpon said store traffic can vary significantly throughout the year.

“Our stores see the highest traffic during the annual open enrollment periods, from October through January, when consumers may make changes to their existing coverage or enroll in new Medicare or individual under-65 health plans for the coming year,” Skerpon said.

Outside of open enrollment, customers visit to learn about Medicare, enroll in other health plans like dental or vision, visit with a registered dietitian or certified health coach, participate in a fitness class, or attend a seminar or community event.

“We’ve also responded to the community impact our centers have had by adding the community events and needs as key components of our center,” Skerpon said. “Local non-profits have used our facility for

committee and board meetings, recognition events, fundraising campaign kickoffs, and promotion of their services.”

Skerpon added, “Each year, our sales, service engagements, care consultations, and community events increase significantly.”