St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a scientific research and treatment center dedicated to developing cures for pediatric cancers and other catastrophic childhood diseases. Almost all patients who are accepted for treatment at St. Jude are enrolled in research studies, based upon referrals from their local physician and according to St. Jude’s patient acceptance policy. Treating patients in research studies based on laboratory research has resulted in important progress in treating childhood cancers and other life-threatening childhood diseases at St. Jude. St. Jude shares all its discoveries freely with the world.
All patients accepted for St. Jude treatment receive care whether or not they or their families can pay for it. St. Jude does have a billing system, but patients do not receive bills. If the patient has insurance, St. Jude bills the insurance plan or other organization that pays health costs.
Billing insurance for the costs that would be due at any other hospital allows St. Jude to continue doing some of the most advanced research in the world. It also allows St. Jude to pay for treatments, copayments, deductibles, coinsurance, and any other costs your insurance does not cover.
Donations to St. Jude also allow us to cover these costs and continue doing research. Having the costs covered by insurance and generous donors allows St. Jude researchers to make major progress in curing childhood cancers and other life-threatening diseases. This helps make sure no patient or patient family ever receives a bill from St. Jude.
Some St. Jude patients go home to an area with a St. Jude affiliate clinic or hospital. If St. Jude authorizes care in advance (before your child receives it), the affiliate provides it, and the payment follows St. Jude policies, you never have to pay. This is true even if the services cost more than your insurance covers. However, St. Jude will ask the affiliate care provider to bill your insurance. If your insurance will not pay or you do not have insurance, all treatment costs are covered. The care is only covered if St. Jude authorizes it in advance (before your child receives it).
All St. Jude patients are automatically qualified for this financial help. St. Jude’s financial assistance policy, this financial assistance statement, and translations of the financial assistance policy and statement are available at www.stjude.org/legal/financial-assistance-policy.html.
St. Jude does not try to collect any unpaid money from any patient or patient family. All services provided by St. Jude and all St. Jude departments or divisions that provide services to patients follow this financial assistance policy.
*Every hospital in the United States must have a Financial Assistance Statement and share it with the public. This is part of the United States law called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).