Explanation of benefits (EOB)

An explanation of benefits arrives after a claim is processed. It sets out what was billed, what the plan paid, what was discounted, and what portion may fall to you.

It is not a bill, and it should not be paid. The bill comes separately, from the provider. Paying from an EOB is a common and avoidable error.

Reading it as a cross-check

The EOB is the clearest record of what the plan actually decided, which makes it useful beyond the individual claim. It shows whether a service was applied to your deductible, whether a claim was denied and under what reason code, and whether the amount the provider later bills you matches what the plan said you owe.

Where the provider’s bill and the EOB disagree, that discrepancy is worth raising before paying — with the provider’s billing office first, then the plan.