An improved method and system to display messages, while processing insurance claims, using a messages table. The messages associated with the processing of insurance claims are primarily used to obtain inputs from the user of the claims processing computer system. Messages, which are typically displayed on a display screen, may include questions, answers, errors, warnings, and other text used with interactive claims processing. The messages are stored as message codes along with a corresponding message text in a messages table. The database, which includes the messages table is the repository and the lookup system for the message codes and the corresponding message texts. Each message code has a corresponding customizable message text, which may be specified at installation time. The application program requests display of specific messages by referring to its message code. The application program, thus, remains unaffected to changes in the corresponding customizable message texts.