The health insurance policy number is a crucial set of numbers. After you purchase a health insurance plan, you will be issued this unique policy number, which will be demanded before a healthcare provider can attend to you, although most healthcares may want to see your card first. So, what is this policy number all about? Continue reading to know more!
What is the health insurance policy number all about?
When you purchase a health insurance plan, you will receive an insurance card. The card usually contains a policy number, which is your identification number, and it’s unique to you. In other words, the number is for you alone. The policy number, which appears as Policy # or Policy ID, on the card, is essential to your insurance company, the company you work for, and yourself. Your insurance company will use this number to identify and track your medical bills once you obtain a health insurance policy.
So, that is it about the health insurance policy number. You should also read further for more details about this topic.
What Does Health Insurance Mean?
Before going deeper into the functions or benefits of health insurance, it will make sense to define the term. A lot of people reading this may already know the definition or even have a health insurance policy. But then, no knowledge is a waste.
What is health insurance? Health insurance is an insurance program established and ran by a private company. Once insured, the health insurance company is responsible for your health expenses. In other words, the company would pay for your medical, surgical, and in most cases, dental expenses.
The Benefit Of Having Health Insurance Policy Number
Obtaining your health insurance policy number implies that you are insured. That means everything about your health, particularly involving treatment, will be catered for by the insurance company. You don’t have to pay for anything out of pocket, unless for plastic surgery, which is usually not covered in most health insurance plans.
Note: It is good to have a sound knowledge of what your health insurance plan cost. That is what you the insured is expected to pay in full or monthly. However, what determine this amount are the benefits included in the insurance plan. But you can keep this cost down by controlling several factors, such as coinsurance amounts, copay, and deductible.
Alright, With That Said, Let’s Look At The Benefits Of Insuring Your Health.
- Having health insurance means your health expenses are covered. No one wishes to have an accident, be sick or get hurt, but these things happen. With health insurance, you are sure that you can get treated in case any of these incidents occur.
- With health insurance, you will be protected from spending a fortune on health issues for your family members covered in the plan or yourself. In other words, you will not have unexpected high medical bills to pay.
- Even before you finally meet your deductible, health insurance gives you the privilege of taking part in preventive care. These include check-ups, screening, and vaccination.
What Your Health Insurance Card Contains
The usefulness and importance of getting a health insurance policy should not be new to you. We have trashed out those topics. However, it is essential to know that your health insurance card will carry vital information. These include your name and dependents’ names.
The dependents (individuals added in your insurance plan) are those related to you, and there are specific criteria that can qualify them as your dependents to be included in your health insurance plan.
Along with your name and that of your dependents, your health insurance card will also bear your health insurance policy number. Additionally, the card usually carries a unique number for each individual your insurance plan covers.
Can A Healthcare Provider Treat An Insured Person Without A Health Insurance Card?
The answer to this question is yes, and a no, and here is why. Most healthcare providers might proceed with your treatment, provided you can provide them with your health insurance policy number.
However, some may refuse to attend to you if you don’t have your health insurance card, even though you can recall your policy number. It may also have something to do with the policy of the system.
Are Policy Number And Group Number The Same?
Here is one misconception most insured persons usually have. Many also confuse the policy number with being the same as the group number. Here’s what you should know.
Your group and policy number are not the same. They both appear on the health insurance policy card but are meant to serve different purposes. The group number is just like what the area codes are to phone numbers. With the area code, you can identify where a call is coming from with ease.
For instance, if you were insured via a school, an employer, or a group that has tons of members, then a group number will be listed on your health insurance card. That group number will be used by the insurance company to identify the general area or the department that is serving the said group plan.
So, the difference between the policy number and group number is clear. The policy number is peculiar to you. In other words, it is used by the insurance company to identify you individually, while the group number is to identify the group you belong to.
Who Can You Include In Your Health Insurance Plan?
When you purchase an insurance plan, keep in mind that the insurance plan can cover your dependents. In the same manner, if you are an employer that wants to include your employees in your health insurance plan, bear in mind that you can provide coverage for their dependents, as well.
So, before you go ahead and purchase any insurance plan, you need to check if your dependents are eligible. Below are factors that can make your dependents eligible to be included in your health insurance.
Dependents on your taxes –
There is provision for your child or relative, counted as a dependent on your tax, to be added as a dependent on your health insurance plan. In other words, if you claim someone as a dependent on your tax; it’s expected for you to provide health insurance for the person.
Your kids as your dependents –
Your kids are probably going to be the first set of people to add as dependents in your health insurance. But there are specific criteria that can make them eligible for coverage. Let’s go through them quickly.
The first criteria are the age of the child or children. If your kids are under 26 years of age, then they qualify as your dependents and can be added to your health insurance plan.
Next is the relationship you share with your dependent (child or children). It’s another factor that can determine whether you can add them or not. However, for a child to be counted as your dependent, he or she should be your biological kids, adopted kids, stepchild, or foster child that is under your care.
How long the child has been with you is another criteria that will determine if a child can be added to your health insurance or not. For the records, the child must have spent at least six months with you for him or her to become dependent and added to your health insurance program.
Another factor you need to consider is whether the child had been added to someone else’s health insurance plan. If that is the case, then you cannot claim the child as a dependent or incorporate the child in your health insurance plan.
What about your spouse? Yes, you can include your spouse as your dependent too. You can also include your relatives as your dependents, but there are guidelines for that. For instance, if another person has added the individual you want to add as dependents, you simply can’t.
Another criterion is the gross annual income of the relative you intend to consider. If it’s under $3000, then you can include them in your plan. Once it’s above $3000, your health insurance company won’t approve of it.
Please Note: If you have health insurance that captures your dependents, you may have noticed that your policy number looks similar to all your dependents. But in reality, they are not. If you look carefully, you will spot the difference, though it’s just a single number.
For instance, your health insurance policy number might be P456789X. Your dependent, probably your son’s policy number, will be P456789X-1. Furthermore, your daughter’s own will be P456789X-2, and so on. It implies that they are your dependents and covered by your health insurance plan.
Conclusion
The health insurance policy number is an identification number given to insured persons. This policy number is also different from group number, as we have explained in this post. We also talked about the importance of health insurance and why you should give it a shot. The thing is no one wishes to have an accident or fall sick in life. But these things can happen at any time and can leave one with high medical bills to pay.
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