Learn

You photograph or upload your itemized medical bill. We read each line item — the billing code, description, and amount — and compare it against public CMS (Medicare) reference pricing for that code, plus check for duplicate charges. Anything that looks off gets flagged as a finding.

You upload your denial letter (and EOB, if you have one). We read the denial reason and any appeal deadline printed on it, then draft an appeal letter citing that reason and your plan's own policy language. You review, edit, and send it yourself.

A dispute letter goes to your medical provider's billing department about charges on a bill. An appeal letter goes to your insurance company about a claim they denied. Different documents, different recipients, different purpose — Bill Check handles the first, Insurance Appeal the second.

It's the public rate Medicare pays for the same billing code, published by CMS. It's a real, national, publicly-verifiable benchmark — but it's not necessarily the exact price your specific provider is contractually required to charge you. It's a strong, honest starting point for asking a billing department to explain or reconsider a charge, not proof of a legal violation.

A duplicate charge — the same code billed twice for one visit — is an objective, provable mistake. A charge that's simply higher than the Medicare reference rate isn't necessarily a mistake at all (most hospital list prices are higher than Medicare rates by design). We flag both, but they carry very different weight in a dispute.

An itemized bill works best — it lists each service with its billing code and price, which is exactly what we compare against reference pricing. A 'summary' bill that only shows a lump-sum balance can't be checked line by line. If that's all you have, you're entitled to request an itemized version (see the next question).

You have the right to ask your provider for a fully itemized bill, and they generally must provide one. BillFix can generate a free letter requesting a standards-compliant itemized bill for you — once you have it, scan that version and we can check each line.

The most common ones: duplicate charges (the same code billed twice), charges well above the public reference rate, and quantities or units that look off. We don't audit medical necessity or catch every possible error — we focus on the objective, checkable ones a billing department can actually reconsider.

Not reliably. BillFix is built around U.S. medical billing codes and public U.S. (CMS/Medicare) reference pricing. Dental, vision, veterinary, and non-U.S. bills use different code systems we don't benchmark, so if you upload one we'll usually tell you we can't check it rather than guess.

It means we read something on your bill but weren't fully confident we got it exactly right — a blurry number, an unusual code, or an ambiguous line. We ask you to confirm or correct it before finishing, so the comparison is based on what's really on your bill, not a misread.

No — we can't promise that, and we'd be lying if we did. What we can tell you: independent, peer-reviewed research (a 2024 JAMA Health Forum study) found that most people who contact a billing office about a bill they don't agree with get some kind of reduction or correction. Results still depend on your specific provider, insurer, and situation — a letter from BillFix is a real, well-evidenced starting point, not a guarantee.

No. Some denials get overturned on appeal, many don't — it depends on the reason for denial, your plan, and your specific documentation. Appealing is usually free or low-cost and the deadline is often short, so it's generally worth trying even without a guarantee.

BillFix drafts and helps you send the letter, but it doesn't track responses or follow up on your behalf. Keep a copy of what you sent (the app saves it in History), note the date, and if you don't hear back within a few weeks, following up by phone referencing your letter is usually the next step.

Checking your bill and seeing that we found real issues is always free. The complete itemized breakdown — every code, every amount, ready to act on — is part of what the letter unlocks. This keeps checking genuinely free while keeping the detailed evidence tied to the product you're paying for.

It varies widely — a billing department might take a few weeks; insurance appeals often have a defined window (frequently 30–60 days) to decide once you file. BillFix doesn't track this for you, so note the date you sent your letter and keep the copy saved in History.

An EOB (Explanation of Benefits) is the summary your insurer sends after processing a claim — what they paid, what they denied, and why. It's not a bill. Including it with an appeal helps because it states the denial reason in the insurer's own words, which your appeal can then address directly.

A balance bill is when a provider bills you for the difference between their charge and what your insurer paid — common with out-of-network care. The federal No Surprises Act (2022) bans many surprise bills for emergency care and for out-of-network providers at in-network facilities. If a bill looks like a surprise bill, that law may be worth mentioning in your dispute.

We can't give you financial advice, but generally: don't ignore the bill. Contact the billing office, tell them you're disputing specific charges, and ask whether they can pause collection activity while it's reviewed. Keep records of every call and letter. Paying under protest is sometimes an option people use to protect their credit while still disputing.

You can still dispute it. Under fair-billing rules you can send the collector a written request to validate the debt, and disputing an amount you believe is wrong is your right. A collections status can affect your credit, so it's usually worth acting quickly — the same letter BillFix drafts can be sent to the provider even after collections.

We only charge when we generate a letter for you, and only when there's a real finding worth acting on. If your bill looks accurate, or if the savings we find are small (see below), checking costs nothing.

It's based on the estimated savings we find on a bill. Under $200: the letter is free. $200–$500: $4.99. Over $500: $14.99. Insurance appeal letters are a flat $29.99, regardless of the claim amount.

Purchases are billed through Apple's or Google's in-app purchase system, so refunds follow that app store's own policy — we don't process payments or refunds directly. See Settings > Terms of Service for details.

Because most people check a bill a few times a year, not every day — a subscription would make you pay for months you don't use it. You only pay when a real finding produces a letter worth sending. No monthly fee, no auto-renewal.

No. Once a letter is unlocked, editing its wording, re-exporting the PDF, emailing it, and viewing it again in History are all free. You're paying for the letter, not for each time you open it.

It's an estimate, not a promise. It's the gap between what you were billed and the public reference rate for those codes — a real, defensible number to open a conversation with, but the actual amount a provider agrees to adjust depends on your specific bill, insurer, and their own policies.

No. Your bill photos, extracted charges, and profile details are never sold to data brokers or advertisers, and never used to build an advertising profile.

BillFix is a standalone consumer tool, not a covered entity or business associate under HIPAA. We still handle your data carefully — see Settings > Privacy Policy for the full picture of what's collected and how it's used.

Your scans, letters, and account are permanently removed. Payment records are kept, but anonymized (with your personal link to them removed), since financial recordkeeping requires it.

Your scans and data are stored on Google Firebase (a major cloud platform) and transmitted over encrypted connections. Only your own account can read your bills and letters. See Settings > Privacy Policy for the full detail on storage and retention.

No — BillFix never contacts anyone on your behalf. It drafts the letter and hands it to you; you decide whether, when, and to whom to send it. Nothing goes to a provider or insurer unless you send it yourself.