How to read a US health insurance card?

Asked by: Miss Kelsie Grady  |  Last update: February 24, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (23 votes)

Understanding Your Health Insurance Card
  1. Insurance Company Name – Also known as the Insurance Carrier.
  2. Member name and member number – also called the policy number or identification number. ...
  3. Group number. ...
  4. Effective date. ...
  5. Insurance contact information.

What are the numbers on my health insurance card?

Member ID Number: identifies you, the insured. Group number: Identifies your employer plan. Each employer choses a package for their employees based on price, or types of coverage. This is identified through the group number.

How to read insurance paper?

How to read your insurance coverage
  1. Read the overview on your declarations page. ...
  2. Learn insurance terminology. ...
  3. Train your eagle eye and read the fine print. ...
  4. Ask yourself questions. ...
  5. See what's covered (your insuring agreement) ...
  6. See what's not covered (your exclusions)

What are the abbreviations on my insurance card?

The type of insurance plan you have

You will likely see one of the following acronyms on your card: HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) POS (Point-of Service Plan)

Are member ID and policy number the same?

The policy number on your insurance card is a unique code associated with your insurance plan. Your insurance company uses your policy number to track and process insurance claims and costs. Policy numbers may also be referred to as subscriber IDs or member ID numbers.

Health Insurance 101: How Insurance Works In 90 Seconds | BCBSND

27 related questions found

What does the member ID number identify on an insurance card?

Member Number This number is used to identify you. It tells your provider how to bill your health plan. If your spouse or children are also on your coverage, your member numbers may look very similar.

How do I look up an insurance policy number?

Contact Your Insurance Agent

An agent will be able to assist you in locating the policy number, but to do so, they will need to verify your account for security reasons — and they may even ask you to confirm your date of birth, address, or other personal details.

How do I read my insurance ID card?

Understanding Your Health Insurance Card
  1. Insurance Company Name – Also known as the Insurance Carrier.
  2. Member name and member number – also called the policy number or identification number. ...
  3. Group number. ...
  4. Effective date. ...
  5. Insurance contact information.

What are codes in insurance?

Insurance codes are used by your health plan to make decisions about your prior authorization requests and claims, and to determine how much to pay your healthcare providers. Typically, you will see these codes on your Explanation of Benefits and medical bills.

What are the abbreviations for identification?

ID noun (DOCUMENT)

abbreviation for identification: any official card or document with your name and photograph or other information on it that you use to prove who you are: Do you have any ID?

How to read an insurance document?

This should include:
  1. the name or type of the coverage provided under the policy.
  2. the name of your organization, and an indication that it is the “Named Insured,” or the subject of the coverage.
  3. the duration of the policy.
  4. the names or numbers of endorsements that are included in the policy.

What is the policy number on a United Healthcare card?

The Group Number is the policy number in UnitedHealthcare Insurance card.

How do you read insurance numbers?

So, what do insurance coverage numbers mean? Often these numbers are displayed as a series — like 30/60/25 — that define upper limits on a given covered loss: $30,000 bodily injury limit payout per person. $60,000 bodily injury limit payout per accident.

What is the payer name on an insurance card?

The Payer ID or EDI is a unique ID assigned to each insurance company. It allows provider and payer systems to talk to one another to verify eligibility, benefits and submit claims. The payer ID is generally five (5) characters but it may be longer.

What is a healthcare identification number?

The HIN (Health Industry Number) is a unique and standardized identifier that enumerates hospitals, providers, suppliers, and all other partners doing business in the supply chain.

What is the plan type on an insurance card?

Plan type. Your card might have a label like HMO, PPO, HSA, Open, or another word to describe the type of plan you have. These tell you what type of network your plan has and which providers you can see who are “in-network” for you.

What is health insurance coding?

The coder reads the healthcare provider's report of the patient's visit and then translates each bit of information into a code. There's a specific code for what kind of visit this is, the symptoms that patient is showing, what tests the doctor does, and what the doctor diagnoses the patient with.

What is the 5-digit insurance code?

The NAIC code is a 5-digit number that can be found on your insurance card. Most of the time the NAIC is printed on your ID card, however it may not be labeled.

What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?

What's the difference between Medicare and Medicaid? Medicare is federal health insurance for anyone age 65 and older, and some people under 65 with certain disabilities or conditions. Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that gives health coverage to some people with limited income and resources.

How do I read my BCBS ID card?

Five things to look for on your BCBS ID card
  1. Double-check details. Check your new card to ensure details like the spelling of your name and the type of plan you selected are correct. ...
  2. Key contact information. ...
  3. Your member ID number. ...
  4. Your plan type. ...
  5. Your co-pays.

What is the RX on my insurance card?

If the insurance company covers prescription costs along with the medical coverage the letters Rx will be printed somewhere on the card.

How to find deductible on health insurance card?

Once you've enrolled in a health plan, your ID card will typically have the deductible amount (and any copay amounts) printed on it for easy reference.

How do I find out what health insurance I have?

HealthCare.gov, is a portal for finding information about your health insurance options. You can also contact HealthCare.gov at 1-800-318-2596 or go to https://www.healthcare.gov/contact-us/. If you have Medicare or Medicaid, visit the Medicare Web site or call the Medicare Help Line at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

How many digits is an insurance policy number?

It is typically between nine and thirteen digits long and contains both letters and numbers. You can usually find your policy number on your insurance card, on bills from your insurance company and in the online portal or mobile app.

What is a NAIC code for insurance?

The NAIC number is a number that the National Association of Insurance Commissioner's (NAIC) assigns to each individual underwriting company. Below is a list of the NAIC numbers that are associated with our member companies. For existing policyholders, the NAIC number also appears on the ID cards as "Company Number".