Primary and secondary health insurance

You could have two insurance companies pay the same medical bill or claim for a date of service through a process of subrogation where the first insurance company determined by the effective date of coverage will pay their portion of the bill and the second insurance company will pay the balance. This process is called coordination of benefits.

Secondary medical insurance is a second level of insurance coverage. Under most circumstances, the two policies are independent of each other. One policy may pay for a service while the other may not. The primary policy must pay first, then the secondary. The choice of which policy is primary or secondary is established by a shared rule between insurance companies. It is not the policy holder's choice.

Examples of Primary/Secondary coverage: A husband and wife both work and carry the medical insurance offered by their respective employers. The husband adds his wife to his policy. The wife adds her husband to her policy. Under most circumstances, the husband's plan would be his primary policy and his wife's plan would be his secondary policy. In like manner, the wife's plan would be her primary policy and her husband's plan would be her secondary policy.

Secondary insurance should not be confused with supplemental insurance. Supplemental policies usually abide by the primary insurance guidelines. If the primary allows the charge, the supplemental will allow the charge. Most supplemental policies cover the charges you would normally pay out of pocket. For example: A Medicare supplemental policy would cover the 20% coinsurance left over after Medicare pays 80% of the allowed amount.