Insurance ?....haven't notified insurance company that I changed my name

RD'sgirl

I got ku only 2 weeks after I got married and I never got around to notifying my insurance company of my new last name and filling out the paperwork before I found out I was pg.  My dr. told me to wait until after I have the baby to change my name with my insurance comp. just so the hospital doesn't get confused and mix up my files etc.  So my questions is since my legal last name is my husbands name but all the info on my insurance has my maiden name, will the birth certificate in the hospital have my maiden name on it, does any of this really matter?  Should I listen to my doc and not change anything until after?

afg

Did you change your name at work?  like notify HR and payroll?

If you made the changes at work then they should pass on that information to your insurance companies.  Usually you don't notify them directly because your name has to match the name you have at work - and they'd require a new SS card to make the change.

DSteed-to-be

Personally, I would've worked this out before waiting this long -- the longer you wait, the more complicated it will be to change your  name in all the records you'll continue to amass. 

I'd call your insurance and/or hospital to see what they advise.

ljlkm

I didn't start my name change process until after I was ku.  There's some mild confusion b/c the staff don't know what to call me and their system will print out my maiden name.  But those are cleared up quickly and there's no missing/mixed up paperwork b/c all of that goes by my patient number.  As for the birth certificate, that should read however you fill it out.

RD'sgirl

yes, I changed my name at work through HR but they do not pass the info along to ins. comp, I am covered through my union so they would be the ones I had to notify about benefits etc. The hr dept is seperate from the union.

Brittany Goldman

If you have already changed your name with social security and with the DMV, you need to have your insurance changed as well. More than likely, they only need to have a copy of your marriage license and if your ins is through work, they might not need anything other than your info updated with your HR department. Since you still have quite a ways to go into your pregnancy, I don't think that the Dr office should have any trouble slapping on a new sticker with the new name on your medical file. That just sounds like they don't want to have to bother a lazy receptionist to change it. And besides, legally, the person with your maiden name doesn't exisit anymore, and if the ins company finds out you were using a different last name than your legal one, you could run into problems with denials of coverage.

ljlkm

My company didn't update my name with the insurance company; I had to do it myself.  All I did was call them and tell them I'd changed my name and they changed the info in their computer and sent me a new card--it's really no big deal.  And I agree with pp that it's not that hard for you doctor's office to make the switch, either. 

afg

RD'sgirl:

yes, I changed my name at work through HR but they do not pass the info along to ins. comp, I am covered through my union so they would be the ones I had to notify about benefits etc. The hr dept is seperate from the union.

Oh, I see. I would definitely change your name, I'd call the union first and switch it with them. 

 

SaraLynn21

I would change your name with the insurance company as soon as possible.  I work in claims for an insurance company, and if there is confusion on a name it can be a nightmare...especially if you plan to add your newborn to the plan and the last name doesn't match.  If your providers are filing your claims using your married name, then it's best that the insurance comany's system match.  Also, if you wait too long the insurance company could give you a hard time about changing it retroactively.  Good luck, they should only need a copy of your marriage license to do it, so it shouldn't be too difficult :-)

RD'sgirl

I guess my doc gave me some bad advice.  I realize I should have done all of this when I legally changed my name.  I'm am in the process of getting the paperwork from the union now. 

cedens

i would def change it now~ there should be no problem switching in the middle of your pregnancy~ i just did it myself and it was a simple process~ by not changing it you could actually get denied coverage for previous or future things~ i would be careful w/ this! just change it and get it over w/ because i think it will be more of a nightmare later after you give birth to clean up the mess!

robynlesley

If you have legally changed your name to your husband's, you should change your name with your insurance company.  It should NOT affect your coverage and should be done prior to your baby's birth.

Call your insurance and let them know you just forgot. I'm sure they'll understand and help you.

jexxie

the birth certificate will say what you want it to but the baby's papers will all probably say baby [maiden name] instead of baby [father's last name].  my boyfriend's exwife just had a baby and they all say his last name on it whereas my baby will have my last name in the hospital.  kind of annoying. 

janice74

I also changed my name with my insurance company recently (after I started going to my OB). ?Like you, I had to contact my union and the health insurance directly.

The OB office hyphenated my name for now, and everytime I go for a test that is outside my OB office I just put both my maiden and married name. ?It is a bit of a pain, but the receptionist said that everything will be fine, it just may be confusing to the insurance sometimes.?

RD'sgirl

janice74:

I also changed my name with my insurance company recently (after I started going to my OB).  Like you, I had to contact my union and the health insurance directly.

The OB office hyphenated my name for now, and everytime I go for a test that is outside my OB office I just put both my maiden and married name.  It is a bit of a pain, but the receptionist said that everything will be fine, it just may be confusing to the insurance sometimes. 

I didn't think anyone would be in the same situation as me.  It will take a couple weeks for me to get my new insurance cards, 3-4weeks.  Should I just wait until I get the new card to tell my OB office or should I tell them at my next my appt?

 

 

heme

Don?t worry about the birth certificate...you fill out the application for it and you can put your married name on it.

With DS...I had that same problem and when I checked into the hospital I just used both names (eg First name, Median name, married name)- it was very important to my husband that I used his name and he filled out the paperwork.

 I got a bill from the hospital and I called to explain and never seen a bill since. Therefore, my advice is if it's too much trouble then just use your median name for now.

 

julygal

It sounds like you are already switching things over to your new last name, but I just wanted you to know that it really doesn't matter for the birth certificate.  I only used my married name through pregnancy and delivery, but my daughter's birth certificate only has my maiden name on it.

cedens

RD'sgirl:

janice74:

I also changed my name with my insurance company recently (after I started going to my OB).  Like you, I had to contact my union and the health insurance directly.

The OB office hyphenated my name for now, and everytime I go for a test that is outside my OB office I just put both my maiden and married name.  It is a bit of a pain, but the receptionist said that everything will be fine, it just may be confusing to the insurance sometimes. 

I didn't think anyone would be in the same situation as me.  It will take a couple weeks for me to get my new insurance cards, 3-4weeks.  Should I just wait until I get the new card to tell my OB office or should I tell them at my next my appt?

 

 

when i was switching to my new name~ i had already been to a few doc appts there~ when i was in last, i told them that i hadn't changed my name with my insurance company and what should i do (i didnt want it to screw things ups) and the receptionist said to go and change it and then at my next visit, when i have my card, give it to her and she will change their files~ they didn't want to get two insurances mixed up if they didn't have the same client ID # and mine were different because they use parts of my last name as initials in my ID # so its very important that they match when your OB bills is or you could be stuck for a bill... my card took several weeks to come in as well...

just wait for your next appt and then show them your new card~ no biggie! you don't want them to accidently change it and you go in for an appt and they bill it for your new last name~ insurance company may not recognize it yet.

janice74

RD'sgirl:

janice74:

I also changed my name with my insurance company recently (after I started going to my OB). ?Like you, I had to contact my union and the health insurance directly.

The OB office hyphenated my name for now, and everytime I go for a test that is outside my OB office I just put both my maiden and married name. ?It is a bit of a pain, but the receptionist said that everything will be fine, it just may be confusing to the insurance sometimes.?

I didn't think anyone would be in the same situation as me.? It will take a couple weeks for me to get my new insurance cards, 3-4weeks.? Should I just wait until I get the new card to tell my OB office or should I tell them at my next my appt?

?

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?

OOO I don't know about that. ?They never ever sent me new cards (even though my DH and I added each other to our insurance). They just said to keep using the same card, because the ID number is the same.?

Delila80

It's all linked to your social security number.  So it shouldn't matter.  When they do a search, both names should come up.