Understanding your health care paperwork
After you receive health care, you’ll get an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance plan. An EOB shows how much you might have to pay for the care you received. An EOB is not a bill. If you owe any money, you will receive a bill from your doctor’s office, hospital, and/or lab.
If your insurance plan doesn’t pay the full cost, you’ll get a bill from the doctor, hospital, or lab. It might take a few months for you to receive the bill.
Special tip
If you get care from Siteman Cancer Center, you will likely receive a bill from the hospital (BJC) and from your doctor(s) at Washington University. These will be 2 different bills even though they are for the same care. The BJC bill is for hospital and technical services, like radiology and infusions. WashU bills are for professional services, like physician visits, diagnostic interpretation and reports.
You might receive many bills and EOBs during your cancer treatment. Make a note of when you paid each bill and what your insurance plan paid. Keep all hard copies in one place, such as in a binder.
