5 Red Flags Hiding on Your EOB

Most people never read their Explanation of Benefits. Billing errors count on that.

You get the envelope (or the email), you see a number, and you file it away. But that EOB is the one document that tells you exactly what your provider billed, what your insurance paid, and what you're on the hook for — line by line. And billing errors, from honest system glitches to deliberate upcoding, hide in those lines every day. Here are the five red flags to check for before you trust the number at the bottom.

01Upcoding

A pricier service code than what actually happened. A quick checkup billed as a long, complex visit — one level can add $100 or more to your bill.

02Unbundling

Services that belong under one bundled code, split into several separate charges to total more than the bundle would have cost. A classic example is lab draw fees billed separately from the panel they belong to.

03Duplicate Charges

The same service billed twice — same code, same date. Often it's a system glitch, not intentional fraud. But it's still your money if nobody catches it.

04Code Stacking

Multiple individually-valid codes piled onto one short visit: office visit, plus an add-on, plus a screening, all on the same day. Each code might be legitimate on its own — together, on one brief appointment, it's worth a second look.

05Care You Never Received

Charges for services, supplies, or tests that simply didn't happen. This is the one only you can catch — you were in the room, and the biller wasn't. That makes your memory the single most reliable audit tool on this list.