This has been a big complication for a few months, but back in October of 2008, I had a physical exam and my provider billed, what I assumed at the time, my primary insurance company (Horizon NJ Health). However, two years later, Horizon took back that money and my provider has been billing me for that physical back in 2008. I called Horizon and apparently they took back the money because I had another health insurance, and Horizon was no longer my primary. I had not known about my other health insurance company, Aetna student health care, since they never gave me any information or membership details, and I was automatically enrolled for it when I entered my university. When I contacted Aetna, they told me that they weren't the primary insurance company because they were just student health care. After several phone calls back and forth between Aetna and Horizon… I STILL haven't figured out who my primary insurance company is since they both claim to be the secondary insurance (and they seem to have endless reasons why the other is primary). I contacted my provider and asked them who they have listed as my primary, and they seem to be clueless about it too (when I spoke to the receptionist and asked, they kinda changed the topic). Is it possible to have two secondary insurance? If not, who should be my primary insurance? If Horizon is my primary, doesn't that mean they shouldn't have taken the money back for the physical exam?
Forgot to mention, I've had Horizon NJ health since I was at least 6 years old. And as far as I know they are medicaid.
Medicaid is NEVER a primary insurance company. They are ALWAYS secondary.
YOU do not get to pick which plan is primary, and which is secondary.
I have no idea how it came to be, that you “didn't know” about your Aetna plan, unless you signed all the papers without reading them first.
What you need to do, is file a complaint, in writing, with your state insurance commissioner, tell them that both carriers have declared themselves secondary, and neither is primary.
That's not going to be your problem, though. Your problem, is Aetna will require you to submit medical bills to them, within six months of services being rendered (reasonable), or they can deny because of the delay in filing a claim. Aetna isn't going to cover this, because of the time delay. Horizon, flat out, is secondary to Aetna.
You're going to end up having to pay the providers for this, even if it's after you graduate. They WILL eventually garnish all future wages.
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