Many dual income couples, include their children on each group health insurance plan to maximize benfits. However, without some sort of system in place to help the health insurance companies coordinate benefits, it's possible that either you or your doctor would be reimbursed for more than 100 percent of the actual cost of your claim.To prevent this, health insurance companies typically designate one parent's health insurance plan as the primary plan and the other as the secondary plan. (That's why the patient questionnaire at your doctor's office asks for information on primary and secondary coverage.) The primary plan is responsible for paying covered expenses up to the limits of the policy. If any unpaid costs are left over, the secondary coverage kicks in.THE DATE OF BIRTH DETERMINES WHICH HEALTH INSURANCE PROVIDES COVERAGEThe birthday rule is often used to determine which plan is primary and which is secondary. Under this rule, .. more >>

Many people think by getting a "good job" they'll have a "good health benefits package." That is just not always the case. Sometimes we find our dream jobs - great pay, weekends and holidays off, many opportunities to use our skills and advance - only to find out our dream jobs do not offer employer-sponsored health insurance. So, we start looking for individual insurance policies to purchase, but just do not have the money left over after the bills are paid to pay the higher premiums.It is a vicious cycle, but it can be stopped thanks to New York State's Family Health Plus. The Family Health Plus plan was created for adults between the ages of 19 and 64 who can't find affordable health insurance in New York. Maybe their employers don't offer group health insurance plans, or maybe they can't afford to purchase an individual health insurance plan on .. more >>