Shriners Children’s (formerly Shriners Hospitals for Children) is not completely free for every family, but no child is turned away because of an inability to pay. The system bills insurance when a family has it, and families with insurance may owe co-payments, deductibles, or co-insurance. If you can’t cover those costs, Shriners explicitly states that your access to care will not be affected.
How Billing Actually Works
Until 2011, Shriners provided care at no cost to any family, period. That changed when rising healthcare costs, flat donations, and steep losses in the organization’s endowment forced a shift. All 20 U.S. hospitals began billing insurance companies and, in some cases, charging families co-payments.
Today, Shriners accepts most private insurance plans, but insurance is not required for treatment. If your child has coverage, Shriners bills the insurer and you may be responsible for the standard out-of-pocket costs your plan requires. If your child has no insurance at all, or if your family simply cannot afford the bills, Shriners provides financial assistance. The key line from their own policy: “If you cannot pay, your access to care at Shriners Children’s will not be affected.”
For families on Medicaid or Medicare (which account for roughly 40% of Shriners patients), the federal government allows Shriners to waive co-pays and deductibles entirely.
What Conditions Shriners Treats
Shriners Children’s is a specialty system, not a general pediatric hospital. Your child’s condition needs to fall within their areas of expertise for them to accept the case. Those specialties include:
- Orthopedics (including scoliosis and spine conditions)
- Burn care
- Cleft lip and craniofacial conditions
- Spinal cord injuries
- Pediatric rehabilitation and therapy
- Sports medicine
- Rheumatology
- Urology
- Wound care and skin disorders
If your child has a condition outside these categories, Shriners likely isn’t the right fit, regardless of your financial situation.
How to Request Care
You don’t need a physician referral to start the process, though having one can help. Families can call Shriners directly at 855-823-7855 (U.S.) or 833-229-9536 (Canada) to speak with an intake coordinator. During that call, the coordinator collects basic information to determine whether your child’s condition is one their specialists treat. Your child’s doctor can also send a referral directly.
There’s no formal “application” with income verification or financial paperwork upfront. The first step is simply determining whether Shriners can help with the medical condition. Financial arrangements come later.
International Families
Shriners treats international patients under the same financial philosophy: care is provided regardless of a family’s ability to pay or insurance status. If you have insurance from another country, Shriners will work with you to determine what it covers. If you don’t, their staff will discuss financial assistance options. For families traveling internationally, Shriners may also help connect you with sponsors or community organizations that assist with travel and accommodations, though that support isn’t guaranteed.
Travel, Housing, and Other Costs
Medical care is only part of the expense when your child needs treatment at a specialty hospital. Shriners offers some help with logistics, but it’s limited and varies by location.
If you don’t have transportation to appointments, you may qualify for local transportation assistance through the Shriners fraternity network. You’ll need to contact your care manager at the specific hospital location and make requests as early as possible. This service isn’t available everywhere.
For housing, Shriners recommends that families arrange their own hotel stays or stay with family and friends when possible. Some locations have partnerships with nearby hotels that offer discounted rates. In certain cases, community partners can provide accommodations for families who are traveling for treatment, and families in financial need may receive off-campus overnight housing arranged by the hospital. None of these are guaranteed for every patient or every location, so it’s worth asking your care manager early in the process about what’s available.
The Bottom Line on Cost
Shriners is no longer the “everything is free” system it was before 2011. If you have insurance, expect to use it, and expect the normal co-pays and deductibles that come with it. But the core promise remains intact: if your child qualifies medically and your family can’t afford care, Shriners will still treat them. The financial barrier, for families who genuinely cannot pay, is functionally zero.