Independence Blue Cross pilots airport kiosk

If you’re familiar with the Philadelphia International Airport, you may have seen an Independence Blue Cross pilot project designed to provide travelers with health tips and keep the insurer top of mind as more people consider purchasing individual healthcare. The Healthy Steps kiosk, located near the airport’s main food court and shopping area, is one way the insurer is trying to reach consumers in new places with new ideas.

The touchscreen kiosk is geared to the 87,000 travelers passing through the airport each day. It provides health tips for travelers, nutrition information for meals on the go, videos and a feature that shows the distance traveled and calories burned by walking to different points in the airport.

The kiosk also has a ‘Get a Quote’ feature. While Independence Blue Cross only covers people in Philadelphia and five surrounding counties, it can share far-flung travelers’ information with other Blue Cross insurers based on zip code.

“There are a lot of people looking for individual healthcare coverage now,” says Karen Burnham, a spokesperson for Independence Blue Cross. “So in addition to providing health tips, this is a way for people to check out what plans are available or leave their contact information.”

In addition to the kiosk, Independence Blue Cross has also released an iOS and Android pedometer app that incorporates many of the same features.