What is an Explanation of Benefits and How Does it Help?

What is an Explanation of Benefits and How Does it Help?
September 28, 2021 Laura Dziomba
What is an explanation of benefits?

Your health care benefits help you pay for the cost of any services you and your family receive. But do you ever wonder about the amount of the bill? That’s a pretty common question, since many people find their health care coverage a little confusing. But the good news is—your health plan has you covered! That’s right. You can view your Explanation of Benefits, or EOB, which breaks down how your plan applied your benefits to the cost of the service. Your EOB includes information such as your name and address, dates of service, general description of services provided, claim numbers, total cost of the service, what you owe and more.

Your EOB is set up in an easy-to-read format that gives a full explanation of many bill-related questions you may have. It makes it much easier to understand how the plan applied your coverage, and what portion of the bill you will owe.

Many plans offer easy online access to your EOB

If you have an online member website for your health care benefits, you can easily log in and check out any EOBs you may have. Many plans offer this service as a quick and convenient way to keep track of your health care spending. You can take a look at your EOB so you’ll be prepared for the health care bills you’ll be receiving.

Still wondering how it works?

You can always learn more by contacting the Customer Service department of your benefits plan. You can also check out our informational video about EOBs, what they tell you and how they help.

Check out our YouTube channel!

Have other questions about your health care benefits? The Meritain Health® YouTube channel includes lots of videos with more information about topics our members frequently ask about, and much more!