Can You Use Multiple Insurance Plans at Once?

Intro: Two Plans? Twice the Power — If You Know the Rules (Maximize Coverage Without Confusion)

Here’s a scenario:

You have insurance through work.
Your spouse has a separate plan too.

So… can you use both?

✅ Yes.

But here’s what most Canadians don’t know:

You need to coordinate your benefits correctly — or risk delays, denials, or even fraud flags.

In this article, we’ll show you how to legally and strategically use two (or more) insurance plans at the same time — so you get more coverage, less out-of-pocket cost, and zero headaches.

🧩 How Coordination of Benefits (COB) Works

Coordination of Benefits (COB) is the industry-approved process of using two or more plans to cover the same healthcare expense.

Each plan pays its share — usually up to 100% total — but in a strict order.

Person Receiving Treatment	Submit to…
You (employee)	Your plan first → then your spouse’s
Your spouse	Their plan first → then yours
Your child	Parent whose birthday comes first in the calendar year → then other parent\’s plan

✅ Example: RMT Massage Visit Using Two Plans

Your massage is $120.

Plan A (your employer) covers 80% → $96
Plan B (your spouse) covers the balance → $24
You pay: $0 out of pocket BUT only if you follow the right steps 👇

🧾 How to Submit Claims to Two Plans (Step-by-Step)

Submit to your primary plan first
- Get the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurer
Submit the unpaid portion to your second plan
- Include the EOB + original receipt
Repeat each time you claim
- Each claim must be tracked separately
- Never submit the same receipt to two plans at once

💬 Tip: Ask Ruby to walk you through claim coordination at insurance.rmtclinic.net

⚠️ Mistakes to Avoid (That Can Get Your Claim Denied)

❌ Submitting to both plans at the same time
❌ Not including the EOB when submitting to the second plan
❌ Using the wrong primary plan (e.g. spouse’s instead of your own)
❌ Claiming more than 100% of the bill (this is insurance fraud)

🔄 What If You Have a Third Plan? (Yes, It Happens!)

This is more common with:

Self-employed individuals + a spouse’s benefits
Children of divorced parents (each parent has a plan)
Veterans or First Nations who also have government coverage

In these cases, your insurers will follow a predetermined hierarchy based on:

Planholder status
Birthdates
Government vs. private payor priority

💬 Ruby can help clarify your plan order before you book: insurance.rmtclinic.net

💼 What If You’re Self-Employed With a Health Spending Account (HSA)?

Great news:
You can still coordinate an HSA after using up your traditional plan — and get full tax-free reimbursement for any leftover balance.

Example:

Plan A covers $75 of a $120 RMT visit
Your HSA reimburses the remaining $45
✅ You pay nothing out of pocket, and it’s all tax-optimized

Use RMTClinic.net to find RMT clinics that provide receipts formatted for both insurance + HSA claims.