Insurance assistant vs insurance claims processor

The differences between insurance assistants and insurance claims processors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an insurance assistant and an insurance claims processor. Additionally, an insurance claims processor has an average salary of $37,151, which is higher than the $35,308 average annual salary of an insurance assistant.

The top three skills for an insurance assistant include endorsements, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for an insurance claims processor are data entry, customer service, and medicaid.

Insurance assistant vs insurance claims processor overview

	Insurance Assistant	Insurance Claims Processor
Yearly salary	$35,308	$37,151
Hourly rate	$16.98	$17.86
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	34,579	48,777
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does an insurance assistant do?

Insurance assistants work alongside insurance agents to gather information from clients, maintain insurance records, prepare documentation, handle mail and correspondence, calculate insurance premiums and awards, and recommend claim actions. Qualifications like good communication and negotiation skills, customer service orientation, research skills, and attention to detail are required for this position.

What does an insurance claims processor do?

A claims processor usually works in health or property insurance claims. They are responsible for processing and evaluating the claim forms, monitoring and verifying information, and closely communicating with the company's clients, beneficiaries, and agents. Also, they handle queries and comments, calculate possible claims, and process of various payments. They also need to ensure all insurance company guidelines and policies are adhered to in order to avoid discrepancies, issues, and other problems regarding a client's claims.

Insurance assistant vs insurance claims processor salary

Insurance assistants and insurance claims processors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Insurance Assistant	Insurance Claims Processor
Average salary	$35,308	$37,151
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $42,000	Between $30,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Eden Prairie, MN
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	Accenture
Best paying industry	-	Insurance

Differences between insurance assistant and insurance claims processor education

There are a few differences between an insurance assistant and an insurance claims processor in terms of educational background:

	Insurance Assistant	Insurance Claims Processor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Insurance assistant vs insurance claims processor demographics

Here are the differences between insurance assistants' and insurance claims processors' demographics:

	Insurance Assistant	Insurance Claims Processor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 18.8% Female, 81.2%	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 3.9% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 3.9% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between insurance assistant and insurance claims processor duties and responsibilities

Insurance assistant example responsibilities.

Cold-Cal to generate leads for individual life and disability insurance and annuities.
Analyze Medicaid models, Medicare and HIPAA transaction documents.
Assign ICD-9 and CPT codes to office visit and inpatient and outpatient procedures.
Process electronic claims, pre-existing and subrogation investigation, point of service, and PPO and HMO processing.
Train staff on billing software in regards to CPT codes and pricing, submission procedures, and industry regulations.
Perform verification of Medicare and Medicaid coverage and limits.

Insurance claims processor example responsibilities.

Manage cases by aggressively directing the litigation process.
Maintain confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA laws.
Process ICD-9 codes, diagnostic and procedure codes.
Handle confidential information according to HIPPA and JAACHO standards.
Follow and comply with HIPPA rules and regulations to ensure patient privacy.
Process medical and dental claims using appropriate CPT, ICD-9, and ADA coding.

Insurance assistant vs insurance claims processor skills

Common insurance assistant skills

Endorsements, 13%
Data Entry, 10%
Customer Service, 9%
Insurance Policies, 8%
Photocopying, 5%
Loss Runs, 4%

Common insurance claims processor skills

Data Entry, 18%
Customer Service, 11%
Medicaid, 8%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Insurance Coverage, 5%
ICD-9, 4%

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Insurance Assistant
Insurance Assistant vs Insurance Claims Processor

Updated January 8, 2025

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