Does your health insurance do this? (doctor, costs, medical, benefits)

[gardener34]

About every year or so, they send out a form that you must sign in which you are verifying that you do not have another insurance company as well as theirs. Like when a husband and wife have 2 coverages from both their places of work.

If you do not sign it and return it within 10 days (some notice huh!!) all claims submitted to the insurance company will be denied.

I think it is creepy. And last year, they LOST the form we signed. Recently, they denied a claim and we had to find a copy of the form we signed and dated back in March, and faxed it to them to get the claim to be covered! (luckily we keep a copy everything we send the insurance company - good tip for everyone)

Does your insurance do this? Why would they? Thanks.

[groove1]

They do it for dependent verification where I work so people don't have their 28 year old son on it.

[OREGONRAIN]

Originally Posted by gardener34

About every year or so, they send out a form that you must sign in which you are verifying that you do not have another insurance company as well as theirs. Like when a husband and wife have 2 coverages from both their places of work.

If you do not sign it and return it within 10 days (some notice huh!!) all claims submitted to the insurance company will be denied.

I think it is creepy. And last year, they LOST the form we signed. Recently, they denied a claim and we had to find a copy of the form we signed and dated back in March, and faxed it to them to get the claim to be covered! (luckily we keep a copy everything we send the insurance company - good tip for everyone)

Does your insurance do this? Why would they? Thanks.

This happened to me just a few months ago. I have a habit of not looking all that closely at the letter BC/BS sends me when a claim has been paid. Evidently they had sent the letter requesting the do I have other insurance and I didn't see it or whatever I did. They refused payment on claims and then the doctors starting sending me the bills. It got straightened out but I now know to read everything BC/BS sends me. Yes it is creepy and I have little respect for the insurance companies in this country to begin with. I also am tired of our country's lackidasical attitude towards health care for people in general. So read everything your insurance company sends you.

[windtimber]

Originally Posted by gardener34

About every year or so, they send out a form that you must sign in which you are verifying that you do not have another insurance company as well as theirs. Like when a husband and wife have 2 coverages from both their places of work...Does your insurance do this? Why would they? Thanks.

I'm no fan of insurance companies, but this request actually makes some sense. If you have dual coverage the insurers need to coordinate benefit payments. You might like a windfall by having both companies pay and keeping the overpayment yourself. At the risk of sounding like an insurance company - that just inflates medical costs and eventually increases premiums. So the companies need to know if there is dual coverage, they assure claims only get paid once, and expenses [and premiums] are [theoretically] kept down.

Why do they deny your claims if you don't send the form back? To force you to send the form back! It's an incentive to cooperate with their request.

[gardener34]

OK, now I can see the point of the letter. But 10 days come on, it takes 2-3 days to get it from them, then another 2-3 days to send it back. I can see 30 days, like most business transactions. It is like they are trying to catch you in a trap almost.

And since they lost it, from now on, we are making sure we keep a copy of everything we send them so we can prove a paper trail. As this insurance has messed up several times before losing things. Thanks.

[southward bound]

I can understand it from the insurance company's point of view (saving their profits), but if you pay full premiums for two separate insurance coverages, then you should be able to collect full payment under both - at least it would cover your deductibles, co-pays and so-called "non-coverable" expenses (there are always some of those).

If a person has two life insurance policies, and dies, do the two companies get together for a 'coordination of benefits' ?? Now that wouldn't make sense, would it.