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What does this medical bill mean?
Bills, statements and insurance letters use different words for the same few numbers. Paste yours to see what is being asked of you.
Your letter, explained
1 What it says
2 What to do
3 By when
This explains the wording only. It does not say whether you owe anything or what you should decide. Dates and amounts above are copied from your text unless marked as counted by us, so check them against the letter.
If you want a person to look at it
Three papers that look alike
Explanation of benefits (EOB)
This comes from your health plan. It summarizes the charges and what you and the plan will pay. It is not a bill.
Bill or statement
This comes from the hospital or doctor. Look for the line called patient responsibility or balance due, and the payment due date.
Denial letter
This comes from your health plan when it refuses a claim. It gives the reason and the time limit for an appeal, often counted from the date of the letter.
Guides
Questions
Is an explanation of benefits a bill?
No. CMS sample forms are marked "This is not a bill". An explanation of benefits is a summary from your health plan of the charges and how much you and the plan will pay. Any bill comes separately from the provider.
I got a surprise bill from an out-of-network provider.
CMS says the No Surprises Act protects insured people from unexpected out-of-network bills for emergency room visits, for some care linked to a visit to an in-network facility, and for air ambulance services.
I have no insurance and the bill is more than my estimate.
CMS says providers generally must give uninsured people a good faith estimate, and that you may be able to dispute a bill that is at least $400 more than the estimate.
Facts on this page come from CMS: Medical bill rights and its sample explanation of benefits, read on 2026-11-03. This page is general information, not medical or legal advice.