Can we insure our health with more than one insurance company?

Question

If yes, how can we get reimbursement with one one set of original bills?

Answer 1

Yes, you can have more than one health insurance company. (Many people do - for example, married couples who both have insurance through their employer and both choose to cover the whole family, etc.)

However, you can't be reimbursed in full by both insurance companies. What happens is that one policy is primary, the other is secondary. (There is a set of industry standard rules which determine which policy is primary - for example, the birthday rule for dependent children, etc. You can't just pick which policy you'd rather have be primary - it goes by the rules.)

Your primary policy receives the claim first and pays according to your benefits on that policy. After the primary policy pays and an Explanation of Benefits is issued, then a claim can be sent to the secondary policy. The secondary policy's payment is determined based on the balance left over after the primary pays - you can't collect twice on the same full charges. Also, the secondary policy isn't necessarily going to pay the full balance left - it still goes according to the benefits on the policy. So, if you have a deductible on the secondary policy, it still has to be met, etc.

Answer 2

First, reimbursement can vary between types of policies.
Yes the Department of Insurance makes the rules for Group Health Plans (insurance through employers).

One thing you may want to find out is if either policy is a non duplicating plan. This means that if your primary insurance pays a certain percentage, your secondary would only pay if it would pay more than the primary would/did, and if this is the case, it will only pay the difference of what the prime paid and what they secondary would have paid if they were prime.

Policies that don't coordinate with each other are group policies with self pay or governmental programs and school policies.

If you have a group health plan and an individual policy (self pay that you purchase yourself), both of these policies should take primary responsibility. Basically, the reason for this is the extra money is to offset the cost of the self pay policy.

Typically if you are going to a contracted provider with your primary, they should bill for you (and most will bill your secondary as well). However, if you need to submit yourself ask your insurance company if you can send a copy. Most insurance companies allow copies to be sent in, and if not, ask if you can fax it.... that remains a copy. Otherwise, ask your health care provider for 2 bills/claims when you go. Make sure they are itemized with procedure and diagnosis codes, date of service, patient information, provider information (tax id number or state license number) charges and if you paid the bill, make sure its noted.

One small note, you can not have two HSA accounts (healthcare savings accounts). These are governed by the IRS and there are special rules that go along with them. Make sure if you have two of these policies your with in their guidelines to avoid penalties.

Answer 3

You can have a primary insurance and a secondary insurance for health. It's quite common.

Typically what those who can get all that insurance do is provide the info to the health care provider who files with BOTH insurances as they'd like to get paid as soon as they can.

IF a claim is rejected, YOU should plan on doing the appealing to get them to pay something. That may or may not be the result.

IF you're relatively healthy, you might want to get an HSA with a high-deductible and allowing for savings AND a more common type of insurance which would be your PRIMARY insurance and have the HSA IF God forbid you have a heart attack, stroke, get cancer, etc. In any case, photocopies of superbills will be able to be submitted in virtually all cases to file claims. They can easily enough verify with the biller that the bill is legit if they question it.

Answer 4

You are only allowed one reimbursement per bill. You are not allowed to make a profit by paying the doctor once and then getting reimbursed by both insurers.

Answer 5

You can get reimbursement from only one policy unlike in the case of life insurance where the amount claimed is unlimited..

Answer 6

You may be able to get one policy with a huge deductable, to take over when the primary plan runs out.
Such policies are called "dread disease: policies, and will only cover such things as cancer, where the bills are probably going to be astronomical, and carry a very high deductable.

Answer 7

Insurance companies insure your bills to be paid not your health to be lived. Come on be honest.

Answer 8

You can only submit claims to one company. If you do have two health insurance policies they will coordinate coverage so that they will only pay the claim once.

Answer 9

Huh? No, but you can shop around to find the best company for you. i dont believe you can get reimbursed

Answer 10

I think thats not legal. The best option is to insure under one company which is the more beneficial.