Capital BlueCross

By Dori Zweig

Disrupter: Capital BlueCross

Disrupting: Retail stores

Details: One innovation that gained traction in a year full of trends: Building retail stores for members to browse and shop for health plans.

When Pennsylvania-based Capital BlueCross decided to open a brick-and-mortar store, the insurer wanted to focus on easing the needs of consumers shopping for insurance.

"Buying insurance is scary, and we would literally put them right into the exchange," Dave Skerpon, vice president of strategic growth and community relations at Capital Blue, previously told FierceHealthPayer.

Storefronts, on the other hand, are much more engaging for customers. Providing that extra face-to-face interaction really helps steer customers in the right direction, Skerpon added.