Helping you decode insurance claims and get on with your life

We’re here to help make going to the doctor an easier process for you.  This post walks you through the claims process. Please use this as a simple reference before your next doctor visit. Take a second to bookmark this post so you can get help with insurance claims and get on with your life.

Tip: Your benefit booklet may not be at the top of your reading list, but it’s the best way to learn about benefits and how to use them. If it helps, feel free to bring it to our onsite locations so we can review it with you.

When visiting an in-network provider (doctor or hospital) make sure they verify your health insurance benefits, such as your co-pay, deductible, coinsurance and out of pocket expense. Don’t worry; this is typically a very quick and easy process.

Co-Payment

If your plan requires a co-payment, it’s most often paid during the doctor visit. If you have to pay coinsurance, your doctor will likely send a bill after the visit.

Deductible

If you haven’t met your deductible(s), you may have to pay something at the visit or when you get a bill in the mail from your doctor. You can easily view your deductible information at any time by logging onto Blue Connect. Please have your insurance card handy for logging on.

After your visit, you may receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB). This is not a bill. This shows how much your plan paid and what you may owe for service(s).

The doctor or hospital will file the claim with us. The claim contains a lot of information including, but not limited to:

• Policy owner
• Patient name
• Description of charges

If you visit a doctor or hospital outside of a plan’s network, there are important differences you should know:

• There is no contract with the doctor or hospital, so you will most likely pay more.
• If prior approval is required and you don’t get it, you may be responsible for the entire bill.
• The doctor/hospital does not have to file a claim. If they don’t, you will need to file the claim .
• We send the claim payment directly to you.
• You must pay the doctor/hospital bill.

Before each doctor visit review these four tips to understand your coverage and estimated costs:

• Know in advance, if your provider is in or out of network.
• Before scheduling a major surgery, make sure you know what is covered and the amount you are responsible to pay. You can do this by reviewing the benefit booklet in Blue Connect or call customer service with the number on the back of your ID card
• Make sure your doctor has the correct insurance information and bring your insurance card to every visit. If you lose your card, order a new one or print a temporary verification by logging onto Blue Connect.
• Keep good records of your care. Compare your medical bills to your EOBs.

We care about our customers and are here to help. In a rare instance that a claim is rejected, it may be for a variety of reasons, such as:

• Missing information from the provider
• Your plan doesn’t cover the procedure or prescription
• The procedure may be considered not medically necessary or experimental

If your claim is denied, we encourage you to contact customer service to understand the concern and your options. If you disagree with the decision, you can ask for an appeal (a formal review). We’ll have our Appeals team take another look and gather more information from you and the provider to re-evaluate the decision.