With many insurance providers going digital due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nib health funds (nib) has boosted its service by launching digital member cards – giving customers a quick and easy way to lodge claims with medical providers.

Now available in Apple Wallet, digital nib member cards allow policyholders to make a claim by simply holding their iPhone or Apple Watch near any HICAPS terminal in Australia. It also provides a digital wallet experience, in which members can also pay for gap payments simply and securely using Apple Pay.

“We're seeing more and more members using technology to connect with us, whether that's submitting a claim or asking a question about their policy, so making our membership cards available in a digital format was a no brainer,” said nib group chief information officer Brendan Mills.

“Now they can have their member card handy wherever they go, making it even easier for them to claim by removing the need to upload receipts or send claims forms to us via mail.”

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nib members can also add their member card to Apple Wallet on iPhone and Apple Watch through the nib app by logging in and selecting “My nib” card.

According to nib, security and privacy are at the core of Apple Wallet. Therefore, when customers add a health insurance membership card to Apple Wallet, the customer identifier number is encrypted during transmission to the terminal. It is only decrypted by HICAPS then passed on to the customer's health insurer.

The private health insurer clarified that Apple does not receive any information about the health insurance claim as there is a direct, encrypted connection between the user's device and the HICAPS terminal.