Yes, a person can have two different health insurance companies. Is it worth it? Not usually. You may see double coverage options when a husband and wife have each other covered through an employer sponsored plan.
You do not get to choose which one is primary. There are built in conditions to every policy, that says which is primary. AND, coverages do not STACK, they "coordinate". Buying a BETTER plan with higher limits, lower deductibles, etc, is going to cost MORE. You can't buy one plan with a $1,000 limit for $50 a month, buy a second plan with $1,000 limit for $50 a month, and end up with $2,000 of coverage total. You still only have $1,000 of coverage total.
No, there is nothing illegal about being covered under more than one health insurance policy. And, technically, as long as you weren't double dipping for premium tax subsidies on the government marketplace there is no prohibition on an individual buying more than one health insurance policy. This question most commonly comes up in the context of employer based health insurance plans though.
What would be illegal would be trying to make a profit from having multiple health insurance policies. When you complete an application you are supposed to report at time of application or when any subsequent change occurs if you will be covered by other health insurance while you have this policy in effect. This is so the insurance policies can comply with and coordinate the payment status of the claim. In no case should your combined health insurance payouts exceed your paid health claims and thy will often still be below the total depending upon factors such as state, plan designs, network usage, etc..
It rarely makes financial sense to consider paying for double coverage in health insurance. Maybe if your spouse worked at one of those rare companies that pays 100% of the Family rate and you work for a company that pays all or most of your employee only cost, then, maybe it makes some sense.
If you are concerned about the high deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums and network issues associated with many of todays new health plan designs it would be cheaper to look into supplemental coverage to fill in the gaps than to pay for a second health insurance product that would rarely pay out much in claims.
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You do not get to choose which one is primary. There are built in conditions to every policy, that says which is primary. AND, coverages do not STACK, they "coordinate". Buying a BETTER plan with higher limits, lower deductibles, etc, is going to cost MORE. You can't buy one plan with a $1,000 limit for $50 a month, buy a second plan with $1,000 limit for $50 a month, and end up with $2,000 of coverage total. You still only have $1,000 of coverage total.
What would be illegal would be trying to make a profit from having multiple health insurance policies. When you complete an application you are supposed to report at time of application or when any subsequent change occurs if you will be covered by other health insurance while you have this policy in effect. This is so the insurance policies can comply with and coordinate the payment status of the claim. In no case should your combined health insurance payouts exceed your paid health claims and thy will often still be below the total depending upon factors such as state, plan designs, network usage, etc..
It rarely makes financial sense to consider paying for double coverage in health insurance. Maybe if your spouse worked at one of those rare companies that pays 100% of the Family rate and you work for a company that pays all or most of your employee only cost, then, maybe it makes some sense.
If you are concerned about the high deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums and network issues associated with many of todays new health plan designs it would be cheaper to look into supplemental coverage to fill in the gaps than to pay for a second health insurance product that would rarely pay out much in claims.