If you have health coverage and have used the services of a hospital, the next step is filing the health insurance claim. This is when you make the request for reimbursement or direct payment for those medical services you’ve received.

You can claim your health insurance by submitting a form or a request.

Options for filing a claim

The most convenient way to do this is for your medical services provider to submit the claim directly to the insurance company. They can do this electronically, through the network. The other way to do this is to file the claim form and send in the paperwork yourself.

1. If you have coverage under two plans: coordination of benefits

Sometimes you might have coverage under your health insurance plan or the plan of your spouse. If you are in this case, you could get more compensation with  two plans by filing two claims.

2. What kind of information do you need to file a health insurance claim form

To complete the steps and successfully file your own health insurance claim, you will first need to understand your medical bill. You will also need to provide some necessary information to fill the form out. It will ask things like:

• Do you have a coinsurance or dual coverage?
• Did the person who is the primary insured or a dependent like a child, spouse or domestic partner get the services?
• What are your insurance policy details? You will need to add your number, group plan number or member number.
• What was the visit? This is where you will list the nature of the accident, workers compensation or the like.

Steps to filing your health insurance claim form
1.Ask your doctor for an itemized bill. This should be complete with every service that the doctor provided along with the cost for each. Your health insurance company will require the original itemized bills to be attached to the claim form.

2.Go online to your insurance company’s website and download a claim form or contact them to send it to you. This form will give you further instructions on what other information you may need from your doctor or healthcare facility.

3.Once you fill out your form, ensure you make copies. This will help you have a reference point in case there are any errors, and make it easier for you to refile the claim in case it is misplaced. Make sure you check billing codes for errors and contact your health provider if you need help. This is one way to make sure your health insurance is approved instead of denied.

4.Make sure everything is correctly filled out, labeled and attached. Call your health insurance company and review all the paperwork. At this point, you can also ask how long you should expect to wait for your claim to be paid and make a note of it. Keep track of the date and contact your company if your claim payment is delayed.

Submitting your claim form – by mail.

In this case, you will have to get a hard copy of a form, fill it and email it with all the necessary paperwork.

Submitting your claim form – online.

Many insurance companies now offer the option of filing your claims online. If you go to your insurance company’s website, usually there will be a place where you can log in and check these details. If not, you can call them up and ask for guidance. Some companies allow partial claims to be filed online, which can also be quite helpful. If they do not offer full online submission, at least begin the claims process and follow up by mailing in the supplementary documents with the associated reference number.