Work health benefits: Do you have Primary & Secondary insurance?

[KingGheedora]

At my work we have two insurances, a primary one, and a secondary one. The secondary supplements the primary (decreases deductible, covers entire co-pay, etc). The secondary will pay or reimburse the benefits difference between the what primary covers and what the secondary covers.

Does anyone else have insurance like this?

The way it's supposed to work is the secondary provides an insurance card with the insurance info from both the primary and secondary insurance accounts. The health providers are supposed to bill the primary and then send the remaining bill (whatever the primary didn't cover) to the secondary. They always say they understand when I explain this to them, yet, NO ONE EVER DOES THIS. It's super annoying. I end up receiving bills from the providers, which I have to forward to the secondary insurance company.

 

[theflyingpig]

They always say they understand when I explain this to them, yet, NO ONE EVER DOES THIS.

That's because the people who send out the bills are idiots, and don't deserve to be paid what they are paid. On a side note, WSJ has a good looking reporter on their commercials. I look forward to seeing them because of her. Everyone knows this.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

I have primary and secondary insurance. When I got my x-ray the hospital made me pay twice the amount because they had to bill it all fucked up. Turns out she was just stupid, and about a week later I got it all refunded. I am glad I am double covered because I paid $6.57 on an xray that cost about 650ish. The way I understand is that, the secondary picks up what the primary doesnt.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

when i switched jobs i had double dental coverage for ~month. good timing too bc I needed RCT + crown. the office took care of everything for me, dont recall having to pay anything. they treated one as primary, the other as secondary.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Do you actually use your health insurance enough to come out ahead over paying both premiums? If not, can you opt out of the secondary? As you're experiencing, medical billing depts. regularly fuckup billing just one insurance company, much less having to deal with correctly discerning between primary and secondary.

But hey, at least they seem to be billing your primary. As opposed to billing your secondary first, and then receiving full bills because the claims are being denied.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Only a handful of places I've worked offered ANY healthcare coverage, never mind supplementary.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I have a primary health insurer through my company and a secondary health coverage from the State. Everyone I have dealt with is used to dealing with it. However, many do not accept the State insurance.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

No, just primary insurance though my wife can use my insurance as supplemental/secondary for her insurance.

 

[dbk]

i have FEHB right now.. and i'm hoping to add in FEDVIP (this week, actually)

 

[pcgeek11]

I have my present employer insurance and retired military ( no premium ) for secondary. I usually pay nothing for medical care and prescriptions. My wife had surgery three times in three years ( Gall Bladder, Hysterectomy, Bladder support ), each ran about 28K - 32 K. My share Zero.

 

[KingGheedora]

Do you actually use your health insurance enough to come out ahead over paying both premiums? If not, can you opt out of the secondary? As you're experiencing, medical billing depts. regularly fuckup billing just one insurance company, much less having to deal with correctly discerning between primary and secondary.

But hey, at least they seem to be billing your primary. As opposed to billing your secondary first, and then receiving full bills because the claims are being denied.

I'm not sure about this, but I don't think I have a choice. It's through my work, and everyone either gets both primary & secondary, or nothing. So I don't know what the premiums are for them separately.

Sort of good thing is I paid a lot of the bills from last year myself (after they went through the primary) because I was confused how everything worked and it was my first time submitting claims. I talked to the secondary insurance today and found out I can get reimbursed for all of it now.

 

[SSSnail]

Why when you can just get insurance that takes care of everything?

 

[KingGheedora]

Why when you can just get insurance that takes care of everything?

Are you self employed? I don't know anyone who purchases their own insurance. I'm not sure how much that would cost but I imagine it would be more expensive than using my work's insurance(s).