How to Use Your Health Insurance Company's App

Every major health insurance company — including UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, Humana, and Medicare Advantage plans — now offers a free smartphone app that lets you manage your benefits without calling customer service or sorting through paper documents.

These apps vary slightly from company to company, but they all include the same core features. You can see your current coverage, find doctors and hospitals that are in your plan's network, view the status of recent claims, see your deductible and out-of-pocket spending, and often access your digital insurance card.

Knowing which doctors are "in-network" is especially important because visiting an out-of-network provider can cost you significantly more money, sometimes thousands of dollars more for a procedure. The provider search in your insurance app is updated more frequently than the paper directory you may have received in the mail, so it is a more reliable source.

Checking your claims through the app is also useful. After a doctor visit, the insurance company processes a claim — a bill from your provider. The app shows you what was billed, what the insurance paid, and what you owe the provider. Reviewing claims helps you catch billing errors, which happen more often than most people realize.

Most Medicare Advantage apps — such as the MyHumana or myUHC apps — also show your Part D drug coverage, including which medications are on your plan's formulary (covered list) and what your copay will be at the pharmacy.

Quick Tip: Download your insurance card from the app and save a screenshot of it to your phone's photo library. That way you always have your member ID number available, even if you have no internet connection.

Important disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only. Always verify coverage details directly with your insurance company before scheduling medical procedures. Benefits and networks change annually.