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5 Reasons Why You Need An Insurer That Offers Online Claims

When choosing the right group benefit plan for your employees, it's important to choose an insurer that can offer the best possible services and facilities for its members. With so many insurers and plans on the market, it's sometimes difficult to know which company to choose, so it's useful to understand exactly why certain services are so useful. Learn more about the benefits of online claiming, and find out how this facility can make life easier for you and your employees.

Members are not out of pocket longer than necessary

The traditional postal service is often expensive and slow. Employees' claims are likely to take longer to process when they must rely on the postal service to get their paperwork and invoices to the claims department. Online claiming takes this hassle away.

Online claims services are quick and easy to use. Members simply log in, fill out a few basic details on an online claim form, scan and attach copies of any invoices and then submit the request. Even if the insurance company processes the claim manually on receipt, online submission can cut days off the processing time, making sure your employees get their money more quickly.

You waste less time on administration

In some cases, group secretaries have to handle all the paperwork and invoices for their members' medical claims. With large groups, this work can easily become an administrative burden. Online claiming takes away a lot of the pain.

Members can normally log in and submit the paperwork themselves. What's more, these online systems create a log of all claims submitted, received, paid or rejected. As such, if there's a query, the member can normally get the information they need without the group secretary's help.

Insurers can keep costs down

Online claiming can help insurers keep down the cost of group benefit premiums. For low-value claims, some insurers now even allow straight-through processing, where the member receives the money without any manual intervention from the insurance company. On top of this, it's easier for the insurance company's claims team to deal with the work online, so the insurer needs fewer people to do the work.

Alongside this, online claiming often eliminates some of the risk of fraud. Claims validation can take place as part of the online submission process, cross-referencing details that the member submits with information that the medical provider provides. These systems can cut the risk of medical fraud, allowing the insurance company to offer more competitive annual premiums to businesses like yours.

Employees get access to more information

To submit claims online, your employees must normally register for an account through the insurer's website. In turn, these member portals offer other services that help members make the most of their coverage. Information that members can get access to can include:

  • Remaining benefits in the current year for different benefit types
  • Details of recommended providers in the insurer's network
  • Medical details to help with ongoing treatment and rehabilitation

Members can also change their account and contact details. This often saves time when dealing with complex queries because the insurance company can get straight in touch with the member, without having to go through you.

Group secretaries can plan or manage tailored wellness services

Online claims portals often give group secretaries access to detailed, aggregated reports that show details of all the illnesses and injuries that employees commonly claim for. For example, the available information (which will not identify employees' personal details) could show that diabetes is an increasing issue in your company, prompting you to start work on an awareness campaign.

It's important to note that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) does not allow companies to discriminate against employees based on their health status. The available data through an online claims service does not contradict this law, and simply offers group secretaries high-level information for budgeting and to help advise internal wellness activities.

When employees need to submit a claim under a group benefit plan, it's easier if they can complete the transaction online. Talk to your insurer, someone like NFP, P & C, Inc., about the options available to your employees.


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