Can I use two insurance plans? How do you determine Primary or Secondary?

You can use two insurance plans, but first, we will need to determine who is primary and who is secondary.  Normally, the birth rule is used to determine this.  The subscriber whose birthday is the first in the calendar year will be primary.  For example:  A married couple has two plans, mom’s birthday is January, and dad’s birthday is May, mom will be primary and dad will be secondary.   Once this is determined we will verify the secondary plan to see how that plan pays out as secondary.  The best-case scenario would be they pay their benefits as “standard” coordination.  With standard coordination, you can use both benefits.  If they have a “non-duplication” clause as secondary, unfortunately, they will only pay the difference if their benefit is higher than the primary plan, but if their plan’s benefit is the same or lower, they will not pay anything as secondary. There are many other scenarios that determine primary and secondary such as divorce situations, step-parent coverage, or legal guardianship.  We can discuss these with you in the office.