No Insurance Card, No Benefits?

How many times have you made a doctor’s appointment only to show up without your health/dental/vision I.D. card? Or worse, felt like you could not even schedule your appointment until you had the insurance card in hand?

While we are proponents of always being prepared with your insurance card, there will be times that you simply don’t have your I.D. card available.

Did you know that some insurance carriers don’t even produce I.D. cards?

It’s true!

VSP is a great example of a company that, although you CAN print off an I.D. card, one will not be mailed to you automatically after signing up. The reason for this is that many providers now ask you what insurance company you are with and then will call to verify your benefits.

What to do when you don’t have your I.D. card

Here are some self-service tips to prepare for your upcoming appointment if you are without your card:

• Call your benefits broker to see if they can get you access to the ID numbers if you have recently become enrolled in the benefits.

• If you receive your ID number from your broker, you may then register on the insurance carrier website. However, other insurance carriers will allow you to register with just a social security and/or date of birth. The goal of registering is to be able to print a temporary ID card until your permanent card arrives in the mail.

• Ask your provider if they will call in to verify your benefits directly with the insurance carrier. You may also find that some of your medical providers will automatically do this for you.

Use these tips to help you feel more prepared for your next appointment!

Have more I.D. or insurance card-related questions? Contact the team at get-benefits today!