Skip to main content

MA89 Remark Code: Relationship to Primary Insured Invalid

MA89 means the claim was missing, or had an incomplete or invalid, patient's relationship to the insured for the primary payer. The payer needs it to confirm the patient is covered as a dependent or subscriber on that plan.

Quick facts

Code
MA89 (RARC MA89)
Status
Active In use since January 1, 1997; last modified February 28, 2003.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): The claim was returned for a data error in the other-coverage section. The provider corrects it; the patient is not billed.
Official description
Missing/incomplete/invalid patient's relationship to the insured for the primary payer.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What MA89 means

When a claim includes other coverage, the payer needs to know how the patient relates to the insured on that primary plan: is the patient the policyholder, a spouse, a child, or someone else? MA89 says that relationship was missing or not a valid value. It is common on Medicare secondary claims and typically explains CARC 16.

Common causes

  • Relationship was captured for the patient’s main coverage but not for the other coverage.
  • The billing system defaulted every relationship to “self,” which conflicts with the insured’s name and date of birth.
  • The code was invalid for the transaction, for example a legacy value that is no longer used.
  • The patient’s family situation changed and the account was never updated.

How to fix it

  1. Confirm the relationship with the patient for each coverage.
  2. Correct the account and claim so the relationship to the primary insured is accurate.
  3. Check the insured’s name and date of birth, which must match the relationship you report.
  4. Resubmit the claim with the primary payer’s payment information.

How to prevent it

  • Capture relationship per coverage, not once per patient.
  • Block claims where relationship “self” does not match the insured’s name or date of birth.
  • A Claims Validator check before submission can catch these inconsistencies. For more on other-coverage errors, see eligibility and COB denials.

Codes that may appear with MA89

  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): Required claim information is missing, and MA89 names the relationship to the primary insured.
  • CO-32 (Our records indicate the patient is not an eligible dependent.): Another relationship-related reason: the payer's records do not show the patient as an eligible dependent.
  • MA88 (Missing/incomplete/invalid insured's address and/or telephone number for the primary payer.): The primary insured's address or phone number.
  • MA90 (Missing/incomplete/invalid employment status code for the primary insured.): The primary insured's employment status.
  • MA92 (Missing plan information for other insurance.): Missing plan information for the other insurance.

MA89 FAQ

Where is the patient's relationship reported?

On the CMS-1500, item 6 reports the patient's relationship to the insured (self, spouse, child, other). On an 837, relationship codes are reported for each subscriber, including other payers.

Does the relationship have to be the same for every payer?

No. A patient may be the subscriber on one plan and a spouse or child on another. The relationship must be accurate for each coverage.

What if the relationship is 'other'?

Use the appropriate code, but verify with the payer that the patient is actually eligible under that relationship.