Arkansas Children's
Financial Assistance Program · About this organization
What you get
Up to 100% off qualifying hospital balances after other payment sources. Smaller discounts also depend on household income.
How to start
Fill in the financial-assistance form and gather proof of income, or explain why you have no income.
Good to know
- Medicaid and other available payers must be pursued first.
- The discount applies only to eligible medically necessary or emergency services and included providers under the current policy.
The details, as published
Arkansas Children's Financial Assistance and Need-Based Discount application reduces eligible balances for medically necessary care at Arkansas Children's Hospital and Arkansas Children's Northwest. The policy provides a 100% discount on qualifying responsibility after other payment sources when household income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. The current 2026 income table also publishes need-based discount columns of 40%, 20%, and 10% at 275%, 300%, and 400% FPL respectively. A complete application and income documentation are required, and the hospital states that review generally takes 30 to 45 days.
What help you may get
Household Bills And Cash Assistance
Financial Assistance Program — household bills and cash assistance
Arkansas Children's Financial Assistance and Need-Based Discount application reduces eligible balances for medically necessary care at Arkansas Children's Hospital and Arkansas Children's Northwest. The policy provides a 100% discount on qualifying responsibility after other payment sources when household income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. The current 2026 income table also publishes need-based discount columns of 40%, 20%, and 10% at 275%, 300%, and 400% FPL respectively. A complete application and income documentation are required, and the hospital states that review generally takes 30 to 45 days.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Eligible patient responsibility for medically necessary services after insurance, Medicaid, and other payment sources
- Qualifying balances at Arkansas Children's Hospital
- Qualifying balances at Arkansas Children's Northwest
- Qualifying professional charges from included provider groups
Does not cover
- Charges from third-party vendors or nonparticipating providers
- Cosmetic services
- Elective self-pay accounts for patients who choose not to use available insurance
- Services outside the policy's medically necessary or emergency-care rules
- The published 2026 table provides a 100% discount through 250% FPL and need-based discount columns of 40%, 20%, and 10% at 275%, 300%, and 400% FPL respectively; no dollar maximum is published.
- An approved determination applies to qualifying outstanding balances and future guarantor balances for six months under the current policy.
Medical And Insurance Costs
Financial Assistance Program — medical and insurance costs
Arkansas Children's Financial Assistance and Need-Based Discount application reduces eligible balances for medically necessary care at Arkansas Children's Hospital and Arkansas Children's Northwest. The policy provides a 100% discount on qualifying responsibility after other payment sources when household income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. The current 2026 income table also publishes need-based discount columns of 40%, 20%, and 10% at 275%, 300%, and 400% FPL respectively. A complete application and income documentation are required, and the hospital states that review generally takes 30 to 45 days.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Eligible patient responsibility for medically necessary services after insurance, Medicaid, and other payment sources
- Qualifying balances at Arkansas Children's Hospital
- Qualifying balances at Arkansas Children's Northwest
- Qualifying professional charges from included provider groups
Does not cover
- Charges from third-party vendors or nonparticipating providers
- Cosmetic services
- Elective self-pay accounts for patients who choose not to use available insurance
- Services outside the policy's medically necessary or emergency-care rules
- The published 2026 table provides a 100% discount through 250% FPL and need-based discount columns of 40%, 20%, and 10% at 275%, 300%, and 400% FPL respectively; no dollar maximum is published.
- An approved determination applies to qualifying outstanding balances and future guarantor balances for six months under the current policy.
Check the main eligibility rules
Diagnosis
B-ALL is in scope. B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia care falls within medically necessary pediatric care for which eligible Arkansas Children's balances are evaluated under the financial-assistance policy.
Age
The program does not publish an age limit.
- The financial-assistance page does not publish a numeric age rule; the record's 0-to-18 launch overlap reflects the pediatric population served by Arkansas Children's.
Treatment status
No specific treatment status is published.
- Professional charges must be from participating UAMS Faculty Group Practice or Arkansas Children's Medical Group providers under the current policy.
- Services must be medically necessary and furnished by Arkansas Children's Hospital, Arkansas Children's Northwest, or another covered Arkansas Children's entity.
- The policy applies ordinary Arkansas-resident rules to permanent Arkansas residents and contains separate case-by-case provisions for certain nonresident or immigration categories.
- Applicants must be screened for Medicaid and other available assistance; ineligibility for Medicaid or other applicable coverage is a prerequisite.
- Other insurance and payment sources are applied before the financial-assistance discount.
Financial need is required.
- Household modified adjusted gross income at the time of application; the policy accepts recent income documentation or the prior-year tax return and uses the lower amount when both are supplied.
- The 2026 income-limit table applies to applications submitted in 2026.
- The current policy sets the 100% Financial Assistance ceiling at 250% of FPL; the 2026 annual income table separately publishes need-based discount columns through 400% FPL.
- A household reporting no income and no government benefits must provide a signed explanation of how basic living needs are met.
- Arkansas Children's may use a credit report, third-party data, Medicaid materials, or a financial interview to verify eligibility.
Where you live and where your child is treated
Where your family lives
Residence coverage is not published clearly; confirm with the program.
- Non-Arkansas permanent residents are ordinarily limited to emergency services under the policy.
- The policy covers medically necessary eligible services for Arkansas permanent residents when all other rules are met.
Where your child is treated
Treatment must be through: The balance must arise from eligible services furnished by an Arkansas Children's entity and an included provider..
- The balance must arise from eligible services furnished by an Arkansas Children's entity and an included provider.
Where the service, camp, stay, or experience happens
- Arkansas — Arkansas — Arkansas
- Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock — Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock
- Arkansas Children's Northwest, Springdale — Arkansas Children's Northwest, Springdale
How to get started
Does a social worker or care team need to start it? No. A required care-team start is not published; the family can use the available route below.
Who can start: Caregiver, Parent Or Guardian, Patient
- Complete the household and guarantor information and gather proof of income or the required zero-income explanation.
- Request or download the financial-assistance application.
- Respond to requests for Medicaid screening or additional verification.
- Return the signed application and supporting documents through the listed hospital route or by mail.
- Wait for the written eligibility determination and review the qualifying balances to which the discount was applied.
Ways to apply or ask
- Downloadable Form · Open form or page — Current English two-page application; the PDF has no AcroForm fields.
- Online Portal · Open form or page
- Phone · 479-725-6966 — Arkansas Children's Northwest admissions can connect families with financial counseling.
- Phone · 501-364-1230 — Arkansas Children's Hospital financial counseling.
Documents to prepare
- Completed financial-assistance application
- Other insurance, Medicaid, residency, or household documentation requested during review
- Recent 30-day pay stubs or employer statement, or prior-year federal income-tax return
- Signed explanation of basic living support when the household reports no income and no government benefits
- Arkansas Children's applies the approved discount directly to eligible patient balances.
Availability and timing
| Program | Active |
|---|---|
| Applications | Open |
| Funding or space | Not Published |
| Application window | Rolling |
| Last checked | Aug 24, 2026 |
- The official site posted a policy effective September 12, 2025, a 2026 income table, and a current application route.
- Submit a complete application as early as possible because the hospital states that review generally takes 30 to 45 days.
- Approximately 30 to 45 days after a complete application is received.
Limitations and things to confirm
- An approval is time-limited under the policy and does not make excluded third-party charges eligible.
- Medicaid and other available payers must be pursued first.
- The discount applies only to eligible medically necessary or emergency services and included providers under the current policy.
- The policy ordinarily limits non-Arkansas permanent residents to emergency services.
- Confirm whether a particular professional or ancillary charge is included before relying on the discount.
- Confirm whether the household must complete a new application when the six-month eligibility period expires.
- Confirm the signed-in MyChart application steps, attachment requirements, signature method, and receipt-confirmation behavior; the public page confirms that families may apply in MyChart but does not expose the authenticated workflow.
- Confirm whether the current site-linked Spanish and Marshallese forms will be revised to match the English form's 09/12/2025 version and Arkansas Children's Northwest postal route.
Official sources
Program details were last verified Aug 24, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.
- Financial Assistance and Need-Based Discount Application (English) · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Application for Financial Assistance · checked Aug 23, 2026
- Financial Assistance (Shared Hospital Policy) · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Financial Assistance Policy · checked Aug 23, 2026
- Financial Assistance - Arkansas Children's · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Financial Assistance - Arkansas Children's · checked Aug 23, 2026
- 2026 Financial Assistance Income Limits · checked Aug 27, 2026
- 2026 Financial Assistance Income Limits · checked Aug 23, 2026