Medical bill errors and your rights in Arkansas
Last reviewed 2026-07-15
If a hospital bill in Arkansas looks wrong, Arkansas law can help you check it or push back — Ark. Code Ann. § 20-9-307(a) requires each non-state hospital, on the patient's request, to furnish an itemized listing of all services, drugs, and supplies billed no later than 30 days after discharge. Comparing each line and code against the care you received, alongside the federal rules below, helps you spot duplicate charges, bundling issues, and overcharges.
Arkansas state law
Arkansas itemized statement of services, drugs, and supplies
Arkansas directs every hospital in the state, except those the State operates, to furnish the patient and the patient's insurer, on request, an itemized listing of all services, drugs, and supplies billed, no later than thirty days after discharge, and to advise each patient in writing at discharge of the right to receive it.
What you can do: Send the hospital a written request for an itemized listing of all services, drugs, and supplies billed; the hospital must furnish it within 30 days of discharge.
Citation: Ark. Code Ann. § 20-9-307(a) · effective 1987-07-01
Federal rules that also apply
On top of Arkansas’s billing law, several federal rules can apply to your bill depending on your situation — whether you paid cash, were treated at a nonprofit hospital, or the balance went to a collector.
Federal law
No Surprises Act good-faith estimate & patient-provider dispute
Uninsured and self-pay patients are entitled to a good-faith estimate of expected charges before scheduled care. If the final bill from a provider exceeds the good-faith estimate by at least $400, the patient may initiate the patient-provider dispute resolution (PPDR) process.
What you can do: Compare the good-faith estimate to the final charges; where the bill exceeds the estimate by $400 or more, dispute the coding and charges and, if applicable, initiate the federal patient-provider dispute resolution process within 120 days of the bill.
Citation: No Surprises Act, PHS Act § 2799B-6; 45 C.F.R. § 149.610–.620 · effective 2022-01-01
Federal law
Section 501(r) financial-assistance & charity-care policy
Tax-exempt nonprofit hospitals must maintain a written financial-assistance policy (FAP), limit amounts charged to FAP-eligible patients to no more than amounts generally billed (AGB) to insured patients, and refrain from extraordinary collection actions before making reasonable efforts to determine FAP eligibility.
What you can do: Apply for financial assistance under the hospital's FAP within the application period (at least 240 days from the first post-discharge billing statement) and require charges be limited to amounts generally billed.
Citation: 26 U.S.C. § 501(r); Treas. Reg. § 1.501(r)-4, -5, -6 · effective 2016-01-01
Federal law
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act — debt validation
When a debt is with a third-party collector, the consumer may dispute the debt and request validation. On a timely written dispute, the collector must cease collection until it mails verification of the debt.
What you can do: Send a written debt-validation request disputing the debt; the collector must cease collection activity until it mails verification of the debt.
Citation: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 809, 15 U.S.C. § 1692g · effective 1977-09-20
Where to report a billing problem in Arkansas
If a hospital or insurer won’t correct a bill that breaks the rules above, you can report it to the government offices that enforce them. Filing a complaint is free, and these offices can spot patterns even when they can’t resolve a single bill. Reporting is not a guarantee of any outcome, and this is general information, not legal advice.
Arkansas agencies
- Arkansas Attorney General — File a Consumer Complaint
- Arkansas Insurance Department — File a Complaint
Federal help
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — submit a complaint about medical bills or debt collection
- No Surprises Act help (federal CMS) — surprise bills and good-faith estimates
Think the law itself should be stronger? You can find and contact your Arkansas state legislators to share your experience.
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