St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: Families Never Receive a Bill
St. Jude is unique among all hospitals in the United States. Families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food. This has been their founding mission since 1962.
The St. Jude Promise
No child is denied treatment based on race, religion, or a family's ability to pay. All treatment, housing, travel, and food are provided at no cost to the family.
The No-Bill Model
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital operates on a model unlike any other hospital in the country. Founded by entertainer Danny Thomas in 1962, St. Jude was built on one principle: no child should be denied treatment because of a family's inability to pay.
This is not a financial assistance program with income thresholds or complex applications. Every patient accepted to St. Jude, regardless of family income, insurance status, or any other factor, receives care at absolutely no cost. There is no means testing, no charity care application, and no sliding scale.
If your child has health insurance, St. Jude will bill the insurance company. However, any remaining balance (copays, deductibles, coinsurance, or denied claims) is absorbed by St. Jude. The family never sees a bill.
What St. Jude Covers
Treatment
- All medical treatments and procedures
- Medications and chemotherapy
- Surgery and radiation therapy
- Copays, deductibles, and coinsurance
- Lab work, imaging, and diagnostics
Housing
- Target House: 98 furnished apartments for stays of 90+ days
- Grizzlies House: Shorter-stay housing on campus
- Ronald McDonald House: Partnership for additional capacity
- Total capacity for 300+ families at any given time
Travel
- Airfare or ground transportation to Memphis
- Travel for return visits and follow-ups
- Patients accepted from all 50 states and internationally
Daily Living
- Meals and groceries during treatment
- School and tutoring programs for patients
- Emotional and psychological support services
- Child life programs and recreational activities
Conditions Treated
St. Jude focuses on catastrophic pediatric diseases, particularly childhood cancers and blood disorders. Your child must have a condition for which St. Jude has an active research protocol.
Cancers
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
- Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
- Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Brain and spinal cord tumors
- Neuroblastoma
- Retinoblastoma
- Osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma
- Wilms tumor
- Rhabdomyosarcoma
Blood Disorders and Other Conditions
- Sickle cell disease
- Other hemoglobin disorders
- Immunodeficiency disorders
- Genetic syndromes
- Infectious diseases (including HIV/AIDS)
- Osteogenesis imperfecta
- Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)
Important: St. Jude is a research hospital. Acceptance depends on whether there is an active clinical protocol for your child's specific condition and stage. Not every pediatric disease is treated at St. Jude at all times.
How to Get Referred
- 1
Your child's doctor initiates the referral
Families cannot self-refer. A physician or qualified medical professional must contact St. Jude's Physician/Patient Referral Office (PPRO) with your child's diagnosis, medical records, and treatment history.
- 2
St. Jude reviews for an active protocol
The referral team determines whether there is an active clinical trial or research protocol that matches your child's condition, age, and medical history.
- 3
Acceptance and travel arrangements
If accepted, St. Jude coordinates travel to Memphis, assigns housing, and begins treatment planning. From this point forward, all costs are covered.
Eligibility at a Glance
- Age: 21 or younger for most conditions (under 18 for ALL and certain blood disorders)
- Referral required: Must be referred by a physician
- Active protocol: St. Jude must have an open clinical trial for the child's condition
- Local exception: Patients within 180 miles of Memphis may be accepted without a specific trial enrollment
- No income requirement: Financial status is never a factor in acceptance
What Isn't Covered by St. Jude
While St. Jude's coverage is extraordinarily comprehensive for on-campus care, there are situations where families may still face medical bills:
- Local care between St. Jude visits: If your child sees a local doctor, urgent care, or ER near your home between trips to Memphis, those bills come from the local provider.
- Pre-diagnosis and pre-referral care: Medical bills from before your child was accepted to St. Jude (including the initial diagnosis workup) are not retroactively covered.
- Non-St. Jude conditions: If a family member (including a sibling or parent) needs medical care, or if the patient has an unrelated condition treated elsewhere, those costs are not covered.
- Lost income: St. Jude does not replace wages for parents who must take leave from work to accompany their child to treatment.
Help with Non-St. Jude Medical Bills
While St. Jude covers all treatment costs at their facility, families may still have bills from local doctors, emergency visits, or pre-diagnosis care. CareRoute can help reduce or eliminate those bills through hospital financial assistance programs, billing error identification, and negotiation.
Get Help with Other Medical BillsContact St. Jude
Physician/Patient Referral Office
General Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Does St. Jude really never bill families?
Correct. St. Jude families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food. If your child has insurance, St. Jude will bill the insurer, but any remaining balance (copays, deductibles, coinsurance) is covered by St. Jude. If you have no insurance, all authorized treatment costs are still covered at no charge.
How do I get my child referred to St. Jude?
Your child must be referred by a physician or qualified medical professional. The referring doctor contacts St. Jude's Physician/Patient Referral Office at 1-888-226-4343. St. Jude must have an active clinical protocol for your child's condition, and your child must meet the eligibility criteria for that protocol.
What conditions does St. Jude treat?
St. Jude treats pediatric cancers (leukemia, lymphoma, brain tumors, solid tumors), sickle cell disease, other blood disorders, genetic syndromes, infectious diseases, and immunodeficiency disorders. Your child must have a condition for which St. Jude has an active research protocol.
What age does my child need to be?
For most conditions, St. Jude accepts patients age 21 or younger at the time of acceptance. For certain cancers like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and noncancerous blood disorders, patients must be younger than 18.
Does St. Jude cover housing and travel?
Yes. St. Jude provides free housing through Target House (98 furnished apartments for stays of 90+ days), the Memphis Grizzlies House (shorter stays), and partnerships with Ronald McDonald House. Travel costs to and from Memphis are also covered for the patient and family.
What about bills from my local doctor during St. Jude treatment?
St. Jude covers all care provided at their Memphis campus. However, bills from local doctors, emergency room visits near home, or care received before your child's St. Jude referral are not covered by St. Jude. You would be responsible for those bills through your insurance or other financial assistance programs.
Can families self-refer to St. Jude?
No. Families cannot self-refer. A physician or qualified medical professional must refer the patient. However, if you believe your child may benefit from treatment at St. Jude, you can ask your child's doctor to contact St. Jude's referral office at 1-888-226-4343.
Do I need to live near Memphis?
No. St. Jude accepts patients from all 50 states and around the world. Because St. Jude covers travel and housing, distance is not a barrier. Patients living within 180 miles of Memphis may be accepted even if they do not qualify for a specific clinical trial.
Tennessee Medical Bill Rights
If you have medical bills from other Tennessee providers (not St. Jude), you may have protections under Tennessee state law. Learn about your rights regarding medical billing, collections, and financial assistance requirements.
View Tennessee Medical Bill RightsNeed Help with Medical Bills Outside of St. Jude?
While St. Jude covers all treatment costs, families often accumulate bills from local hospitals, emergency visits, specialist consultations before referral, or care for other family members. CareRoute Bill Defense can review those bills, find errors, apply for financial assistance at other hospitals, and negotiate on your behalf. No upfront cost.
Start Your Free Case ReviewThis guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Information is based on publicly available St. Jude Children's Research Hospital policies as of 2026. While St. Jude's no-bill model has been consistent since its founding, specific eligibility criteria, accepted conditions, and housing availability may change. Always verify current requirements directly with St. Jude at 1-888-226-4343 or visit stjude.org.