If you need to find your group number on your insurance card, it is as simple as looking at the number on the back of your card. The number on Health Care Marketplace or Medicare cards is not on the back.
The group number is the company’s code for enrolling a group of employees in health insurance. In other words, it is the company’s number to apply to the insurance company.
What is the group number for health insurance?
The group number is the way to identify the policy contracted by an employer; the doctors you go to use your benefit will use it to determine the health plan you have employed.
When you need to submit claims to the insurance company for reimbursement of your money or to use the insurance for medical consultation, you must provide the group number and the membership ID.
Most people confuse or think that the policy number and the group number are the same things, but there is a vast difference between the two. The group number is only for companies or individuals purchasing insurance for a group of people.
If you are self-employed, you will not have a group number on your insurance card because you do not work for anyone and are not the employer of many people you insure. You will have a policy number regardless of whether you are self-employed, an employer, or an employee of a large company.
The policy number is used to show that you own that policy and that you are eligible for compensation. That is why you can see both numbers on your insurance card and evidence that they are not the same.
The importance of knowing your group number
If it is not detailed on your insurance card, you should call your insurer to request it; it will serve as the security code to enter your policy and enjoy the health insurance services. For the employer, there are also many benefits.
It is a way to reduce costs
Employers will have to pay less in insurance premiums; it is more cost-effective to have one group number and offer coverage to the entire organization than to have separate coverage for each worker.
It is simpler for the physician to identify health coverage benefits
Each insurance plan has different uses for its policyholders, so identifying insurance coverage for all employees of a single company is as simple as adding the group number to the special software.
Employees will be able to be served faster with this mechanism; the records will show all the specifications and limitations of acquiring the insurance.
Keep track of health coverage
The insurance company can track the benefits of all company employees using this number; this is advantageous when it is necessary to update the coverage options of all employees because it will avoid problems.
It is the ideal way to file a claim
For claims, the company requires the employee’s group number to be submitted, whether it is carried out by the physician or by the insured himself. That way, the insurance company verifies whether you continue receiving the benefit and if your coverage applies to the claim.
It is also beneficial because it allows you to remove the insurance for employees who have stopped working for the company; you will stop receiving the insurance when you stop working for the company.
What happens if you lose your card?
When you lose your insurance card, you must contact your provider to report the loss and request a new card. The insurance agents will tell you how long it will take to reissue the card with all the information.