When should a biller bill secondary insurance?
Asked by: Jo Rolfson DVM | Last update: August 8, 2025Score: 4.1/5 (20 votes)
When would a biller bill secondary insurance?
When billing for primary and secondary claims, the primary claim is sent before the secondary claim. Once the primary payer has remitted on the primary claim, you will then be able to send the claim on to the secondary payer.
Can you bill secondary insurance without billing primary?
Healthcare practices cannot submit a claim to both insurance companies at the same time. Instead, you'll need to submit to the primary insurance, wait to see how much the primary insurance will pay, and then submit to secondary insurance.
What is the primary secondary insurance rule?
The insurance that pays first is called the primary payer. The primary payer pays up to the limits of its coverage. The insurance that pays second is called the secondary payer. The secondary payer only pays if there are costs the primary insurer didn't cover.
Can a provider refuse to bill secondary insurance?
A: The answers to your questions depend on state law. Some states require physicians to bill all insurers a patient has, without charge, whereas others do not. If the physician has a contract with the secondary insurer, then, by contract, he or she most likely is obligated to submit the bill.
Billing Secondary Insurances
Do I have to submit claims to my secondary insurance?
Secondary Insurance
You are NOT required to submit the secondary claim though you can if you wish to. You are within your right to just collect the copay for the primary insurance company from your Client and not submit a secondary claim.
Will secondary pay if primary denies?
It depends on which insurance is considered “primary” and which is “secondary.” The insurance that pays first (primary payer) pays up to the limits of its coverage. The insurance that pays second (secondary payer) only pays if there are costs the primary insurance didn't cover.
What is the birthday rule?
The rule requires that the parent whose birthday comes first in the calendar year would cover the cost of delivering the new baby regardless of whether one parent has better health coverage for a newborn than the other.
How to bill Medicare as secondary insurance?
When Medicare is the secondary payer… the physician… must first submit the claim to the primary payer. The primary payer is required to process the claim and make primary payment on the claim in accordance with the coverage provisions of its contract.
How is cob determined?
In most cases, the health plans will perform coordination of benefits using the “birthday rule.” This means if your birthday month occurs earlier in a calendar year than your spouse or partner's, your plan will be primary and the other plan will be the secondary payor.
Does secondary insurance pick up primary copay?
Primary insurance pays first for your medical bills. Secondary insurance pays after your primary insurance. Usually, secondary insurance pays some or all of the costs left after the primary insurer has paid (e.g., deductibles, copayments, coinsurances).
When a patient is covered by a primary payer plan and a different secondary payer plan?
The "primary payer" pays up to the limits of its coverage, then sends the rest of the balance to the "secondary payer." If the “secondary payer” doesn't cover the remaining balance, you may be responsible for the rest of the costs.
When dealing with secondary claims, when do you make your insurance adjustments?
Wait until BOTH insurances have paid in order to make the adjustment. Properly knowing how to handle dual insurance will save you time and hardship in the future. It all starts with insurance verification!
Whose insurance gets billed first?
Primary insurance is billed first when you receive health care. For example, health insurance you receive through your employer is typically your primary insurance. Secondary insurance — Secondary insurance is a health insurance plan that covers you on top of your primary insurance plan.
How does Medicare determine which insurance is primary?
If you work for a company with fewer than 20 employees, Medicare is considered your primary coverage. That means Medicare pays first, and your employer coverage pays second. If you work for a larger company, your employer-based coverage will be your primary coverage and Medicare your secondary coverage.
When a patient has a primary and secondary insurance and both are to be billed for a specific claim?
When a patient has both primary and secondary insurance, the two plans will work together to make sure they're not paying more than 100% of the bill total. They do this through a “coordination of benefits” or COB. The COB uses various industry regulations to establish which insurance plan is primary and pays first.
What is the Medicare secondary payer rule?
In certain situations, however, federal Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) law prohibits Medicare from making payments for an item or service when payment has been made, or can reasonably be expected to be made, by another insurer such as a liability plan.
Does Medicare automatically send claims to secondary insurance?
A: Claims submitted to Medicare by the beneficiary aren't automatically crossed over to the secondary insurance. Once your claim has processed by Medicare you can submit a copy of the Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) received to your secondary insurance.
How does secondary insurance work?
Secondary insurance is when someone is covered under two health plans; one plan will be designated as the primary health insurance plan and the other will be the secondary insurance. The primary insurance is where health claims are submitted first.
What is the birthday rule for dual insurance?
The birthday rule applies when a child is covered under both parents' health plans. Primary coverage comes from the plan of the parent whose birthday (month and day only) comes first in the year, with the other parent's health plan providing secondary coverage.
What is the birthday rule for Medicare insurance?
Q: What is the "Birthday Rule" and how does it apply to the new Medigap Plans? A: If you already have Medigap insurance, you have 60 days of "open enrollment" following your birthday each year when you can buy a new Medigap policy without a medical screening or a new waiting period.
What is the 23 birthday rule?
The birthday paradox is a mathematical phenomenon that demonstrates the surprising probability of two people in a group having the same birthday. Despite the seemingly low odds, in a group of just 23 people, there is a greater than 50% chance of at least two people sharing a birthday.
How do I bill a secondary insurance claim?
The Billing Process for Secondary Insurance Claims
Submit Primary Claim: The first step in billing secondary insurance is to submit a claim to the primary insurance carrier. Once the primary claim is processed and any applicable payments or denials are received, you can proceed with billing the secondary insurance.
What happens if secondary insurance pays more than primary insurance?
If an overpayment results from the patient having a secondary insurance plan, it is the patient's money, as it was caused by having another insurance plan they pay for. In regulations, providers cannot charge, keep, or accept any amount besides the amount billed for the services provided.
How to bill Medicare secondary claims electronically?
Electronic claim submission of MSP claims
Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) claims can be submitted electronically to Novitas Solutions via your billing service/clearinghouse, directly through a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) connection, or via Novitasphere portal's batch claim submission.