The paper
The bill is higher than the EOB
The explanation of benefits is the plan’s record of what it processed. The bill is the provider asking to be paid. When the amount due on the bill is higher than the patient responsibility on the EOB, those two pages disagree. Pay the number they share, after you can see it on both.
What to compare
- Date of service and account or claim number.
- The plan’s patient responsibility, member share, or “you may owe” line.
- The provider’s amount due, not the hospital’s gross charges.
A common gap is a payment the plan already sent that the provider has not posted yet. Another is a second bill from a different group, such as the facility and the doctor. Those are two accounts, not one number to add together.
What to ask
Call the number on the bill. Give the date of service and both amounts. Ask them to walk through the difference and to send a corrected statement if the EOB is the number they should collect. Ask for the name of the person and a written balance. An EOB is not itself a bill.
This is educational. Plan contracts differ. It is not a determination about your claim.
Check the letter in your hand
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Is This Bill is not a law firm, medical provider, or billing advocate. This is educational software. It can misread documents. You are responsible for what you send and what you pay.