Buddy for medical bills
Send me the bill and the explanation of benefits. I’ll line them up, show you where they don’t match, and write down what to ask before you pay.
A son in Bellingham, Washington, with his mom’s mail spread across his desk at lunch.
Buddy made the photos of the bill and the explanation of benefits in this conversation to stand in for the ones a person would send. The hospital is made up.
Send me the bill and the EOB together. I’ll show you where they don’t match and write the questions down.
- Here’s the bill and the EOB. List every charge that doesn’t match.
- Put this year’s medical bills in a spreadsheet with what’s been paid.
- Draft a note to the billing office asking for an itemized bill.
- Today 12:35 PM
- You sent a picture: Two photos: a hospital bill for knee surgery asking for $1,240, and the insurer’s explanation of benefits for the same surgery, showing $310
- You: mom got a $1,240 bill for her knee surgery and her EOB came the same day. sending both. does anything look off?
- Buddy: Got both pages. Give me a minute to line them up.
- 12:40 PM
- Buddy: Her EOB says she owes $310 for the surgery. The bill charges $650 for it, and $1,240 in all.
- Buddy: Two charges on the bill aren’t on the EOB: anesthesia on Sept. 4 and a $95 supply fee. And the EOB lists one claim as still pending.
- Buddy: I can’t tell you which one is right. That’s for the billing office and her insurer. But those are the four things I’d ask about before paying.
- You: can you write down what to ask
- Buddy: Here’s one page: each charge, what the EOB says about it, and the question to ask.
- Questions for the billing officePDF
- You: calling them after lunch Buddy liked this.
Send me the bill and the explanation of benefits. I’ll line them up, show you where they don’t match, and write down what to ask before you pay.
From two envelopes to four questions
Send both papers
Photos or PDFs of the bill and the explanation of benefits. If a page is hard to read, I’ll ask for a clearer copy.
I line them up
Each charge on the bill sits next to what the EOB says about it, and anything that shows up on one and not the other gets called out.
You make the call
I write down the questions. Whether a charge is right is for the billing office and the insurer to answer, and what you pay is your decision.
More you can ask for
- Here’s Mom’s bill and her explanation of benefits. Does anything look off?
- Here are three bills from her hospital stay. List any charge that shows up twice.
- Read this letter from her insurer and tell me what it’s asking for.
- Make a list of questions to ask about this denied claim.
- What does billing code 99213 on this bill mean?
- Remind me in two weeks to follow up if I haven’t heard back.
What you get back
Where they don’t match
Charges on one paper and not the other, amounts that differ, and claims still marked pending. I tell you what each page says, not which one is right.
Work with filesQuestions to ask
A one-page list with each charge and the question that goes with it, to keep in front of you on the call.
A record of the year
Ask for a spreadsheet of this year’s bills with dates, amounts, and what’s been paid, and a new copy when another bill comes.
Working with dataA note you decide to send
I can draft a request for an itemized bill. Sending it to the office takes a connected email app, and you decide when it goes.
Connected apps
| Charge | EOB says | Ask |
|---|---|---|
| Knee surgery, $650 | She owes $310 | Why is the surgery billed at $650? |
| Anesthesia, Sept. 4 | Not listed | Was this sent to her insurer? |
| Supply fee, $95 | Not listed | What is this fee for? |
| Pending claim | Still pending | Should we wait to pay? |
| Bill: $1,240 | EOB: $310 | Ask before paying |
Questions people ask
Will Buddy tell me if a bill is wrong?
No. Buddy reads the bill and the explanation of benefits, tells you what each one says, and lists where they don’t match. He isn’t an insurer or a billing advocate. The billing office and the insurer are the ones who can say whether a charge is right.
Can he contact the billing office for me?
He can draft the letter or email. Sending it to someone else needs a connected email app and a request from you.
What if he reads a number wrong?
Check the amounts against the papers before you call or pay. If a page is blurry or cut off, ask Buddy which part he couldn’t read and send a clearer copy.