Money, Tax & Claims · Web
BillDecoder: how to dispute a medical bill you cannot read
Read the bill and the explanation of benefits before you decide what to do next.
BillDecoder is a plain-English reader for medical bills and explanations of benefits, for anyone working out how to dispute a medical bill or simply what one says. You paste the lines, and it explains the terms and lays out the usual next steps.
Waitlist Not built yet Updated 5 September 2026
What problem does BillDecoder solve?
Two envelopes arrive a few weeks apart. One is from the hospital and one is from the insurer, and neither of them is written for you. The insurer's page says explanation of benefits and not a bill. It then lists an amount billed, an allowed amount, a plan paid figure, and a patient responsibility figure that do not obviously add up. The hospital's page lists a department, a date, and a total, with no detail about what was actually done. You are left holding two documents that describe the same afternoon in two different vocabularies. Some of it is codes. Some of it is words like adjustment, coinsurance, and out of network, which sound like they mean the same thing and do not. So you either pay it because arguing seems harder than paying, or you put it in a drawer and wait to see whether anyone chases it. Both of those are decisions made without reading the thing you are deciding about.
EOB decoder
Look up the terms on a medical bill or EOB and get the next steps for five common problems.
Free to use. No account. Nothing you type here is stored.
What would BillDecoder do?
BillDecoder would sit between the two envelopes and translate. You type or paste the lines from a bill or an explanation of benefits. Each term is explained in ordinary words: what an allowed amount is, what an adjustment does, and how coinsurance and a deductible differ. Nothing is a verdict. The tool would point out patterns worth a question, such as a line that appears on the bill but not on the insurer's statement. From there it lays out the ordinary next steps in a sensible order. Ask for an itemized bill, line it up against the statement, then put your question to the billing office in writing. Draft wording is offered for each step, and nothing you type is stored. The tool never tells you what you owe or what to pay.
How would it work?
- 1Type or paste the lines from your bill and your explanation of benefits.
- 2Read each term in plain words, with the codes and the abbreviations spelled out.
- 3See which lines are worth a question, and why that question is worth asking.
- 4Follow the next steps in order, starting with a request for an itemized bill.
- 5Copy draft wording for a phone call or a written question, then send it yourself.
Who is it for?
- Anyone opening a hospital bill weeks after a visit they thought was already settled.
- People whose explanation of benefits and hospital statement show two different numbers.
- Family members handling the paperwork for a parent or a partner after a hospital stay.
How do you request an itemized medical bill and check it against the EOB?
Start by getting the detail, because a summary bill cannot be checked. Call the billing office on the number printed on the statement and ask for an itemized bill, sometimes called a detailed statement or a line-item bill, for that date of service. Ask for it in a format you can actually read, on paper or as a file in the patient portal. Write down the date, the time, the name of the person you spoke to, and what they said they would send. While you wait, find the explanation of benefits for the same date. It is not a bill. It is the insurer's account of what was charged, what the plan allowed, what the plan paid, and what it says is left with you. Print both documents, or open them side by side. Now line them up. Match date of service to date of service, then provider to provider. Compare the patient responsibility figure on the explanation of benefits against the amount the provider is asking for. Read the itemized lines for things you can check from your own memory: a room charge for a night you were not there, a test done twice, a supply you brought yourself, a name you do not recognize. Put your questions in writing rather than settling them on a call. Email the billing office, or use the portal's message function, and keep a copy. Quote the account number, the date of service, and the exact line you are asking about, one line per paragraph. Ask what the line is for, not whether it is wrong. Send the same questions to your insurer, since the two organizations hold different halves of the answer. Keep every reply in one folder.
What do people use today?
| Option | Good at | The gap |
|---|---|---|
| Calling the billing office and asking | Free, and the person who answers can sometimes explain a confusing line in under a minute. | Nothing is written down, the next call reaches somebody else, and you are left with no record of what was said. |
| Medical billing advocates and negotiators | Experienced people who do this daily and can take the whole conversation off your hands. | They charge for their time, so the arrangement suits a large or complicated case more than a routine statement. |
| Insurer and hospital glossaries | Accurate definitions of the terms, published by the organizations that use them. | A glossary defines a word. It does not tell you which of your own lines to ask about, or what to do after you ask. |
| Forums and social media threads | First-hand accounts from people who went through the same process, sometimes with the wording they used. | Every answer depends on one plan and one state, and a thread gives you no way to tell whether your case is the same. |
What would it cost?
Free
$0
- Decode one bill or statement
- Plain-English glossary and next steps
Plus
$9 once
- One case with as many documents as it takes
- Draft wording for calls and written questions
- A printable summary of what you asked and when
Family
$29/yr
- Everything in Plus
- Unlimited cases for the household
- A timeline per person so nothing gets lost
Prices are proposed. Founding members lock in the lowest price if we build BillDecoder.
Questions people ask
What is the short version of how to dispute a medical bill?
Disputing a medical bill usually starts by asking the provider for an itemized statement, then comparing it line by line against the explanation of benefits from your insurer. Questions go to the billing office in writing, with the account number and the exact line quoted. Keep every reply.
What is the difference between an EOB and a bill?
An explanation of benefits is the insurer's account of a claim: what was charged, what the plan allowed, what it paid, and what it says is left with you. A bill is the provider asking you for money. The two often disagree, which is why comparing them is the first move.
Will BillDecoder tell me whether my bill is wrong?
No. BillDecoder would explain what each line says and flag the ones worth asking about. Deciding that a charge is an error is a conversation between you, the provider, and your insurer. BillDecoder holds neither your medical record nor your plan documents.
Does BillDecoder store my bill?
No. Everything you type into the decoder on this page stays in your browser and is gone when you close the tab. A medical bill carries your name, your dates, and your diagnosis codes, and none of that belongs on somebody else's server.
Can it negotiate on my behalf?
No. BillDecoder would give you the vocabulary and the draft wording, and you send it yourself. Anything written in your name should come from you, so that what is said matches what you are actually willing to agree to.
Does this work outside the United States?
The vocabulary comes from United States insurance billing, so an explanation of benefits, an allowed amount, and coinsurance are the terms it explains. Other systems use different documents. The habit of asking for an itemized statement and putting questions in writing travels anywhere.
What if the bill has already gone to a collection agency?
That is past what a web tool can usefully help with, and it is the point to get a person involved. A billing advocate, a legal aid service, or a financial counsellor at the hospital can look at the whole situation, which a page like this cannot.
When will BillDecoder launch?
There is no date. BillDecoder gets built only if enough people join this waitlist and say they would use it. Joining costs nothing, and the decoder on this page is free whether or not the full product ever exists.
Where does this stand?
BillDecoder is a proposal, not a product. This page collects demand from search and answer engines. Askwright builds it only if enough people join the waitlist and say they would pay. Read how this works.
This page and its tool are general information, not legal, financial, or medical advice. Billing rules and plan terms differ; check your own plan documents, or ask a qualified professional, before you act.