When a loved one comes home from the hospital with a new tracheostomy, one of the first questions families ask is also one of the most important: what does Arkansas Medicaid actually cover, and how often can we reorder? The answer is reassuring once you understand the structure. Arkansas Medicaid covers the routine supplies a tracheostomy patient needs at home when the items are prescribed by a physician and supplied through a participating durable medical equipment provider. The provider handles the prior authorization, the refills, and the delivery, which leaves the family focused on care rather than paperwork. For the day-to-day procedure side of the routine, our Caregiver’s Guide to Trach Tie Changes Under Medicaid walks through the steps and the recommended supply kit.
What the monthly allowance typically includes
The exact list is prescribed by the physician and authorized by Arkansas Medicaid, but most monthly trach supply allowances include the routine items caregivers use every day. The core group is trach ties, trach straps, and tracheostomy tube ties, which are the soft straps that hold the tube in place and are typically changed daily. The suctioning side of the routine is covered too: suction catheters, suction tubing, canisters, and yankauer tips, all of which are the recommended supplies for routine tracheostomy suctioning. Most patients also have trach tubes and inner cannulas on the allowance in the sizes their physician specifies, plus a backup trach tube of the same size for emergency replacement.
How the monthly cadence works in practice
A typical monthly allowance is sized to cover 30 days of routine use plus a small safety margin, which is why caregivers usually refill around the same date each month rather than waiting until supplies run low. The provider pulls the prior authorization, builds the order to match what the physician prescribed, and ships the supplies with free delivery. Most families set up recurring monthly delivery so the shelf is restocked automatically. If your loved one’s usage changes, the physician updates the prescription and the allowance adjusts at the next refill cycle.
How to read the supply list on your allowance
Allowance letters from Arkansas Medicaid can look technical, but the categories map directly to the products you actually use. Trach ties and tracheostomy tube ties refer to the fabric or Velcro straps that secure the tube. Trach straps is the same family by a different name. Suction catheters are the flexible tubes used to clear secretions. Suction tubing connects the catheter to the suction machine. The canister is the collection reservoir. The yankauer is the rigid oral suction tip. The trach tube and inner cannula are the airway hardware. When you read your allowance, you can match each line to a product on the Finnegan Health Services trach and suction catalog, which simplifies reorders.
How to set up your Arkansas Medicaid supply account
The fastest way to start is to have the prescribing clinician send a referral and prescription to Finnegan Health Services, which is an ACHC-accredited Arkansas Medicaid supplier. The Finnegan team verifies Medicaid eligibility, confirms the prescription, builds the recurring order to match the allowance, and ships the first supply kit to the home. From month two onward, the order is automatic unless the caregiver flags a change. There is no cost to the family for the supplies, shipping, or the refill coordination.
What Medicaid does not cover through this allowance
The monthly trach supply allowance is for routine, prescribed supplies. It does not cover clinical services, equipment repairs outside the supplier’s scope, or items that are not on the physician’s prescription. If your loved one needs a humidifier, a backup suction machine for travel, or specialty items not on the current prescription, those are typically handled through a separate authorization. The Finnegan Health Services team can help identify which items fall inside the standard allowance and which require a new prescription, but specific coverage questions are best answered by your Medicaid caseworker or the prescribing clinician.
Where to buy the routine supplies
Once the account is set up, the routine question of where to buy trach suctioning equipment, trach ties, and trach straps each month has a single answer. Finnegan Health Services is the supplier of record, the order is built from the catalog, and the supplies are shipped to the home. To start a new account, call 1-888-789-6600 or use the online order form. Existing customers can manage refills and update their recurring order through the same channels.
A quick reference for the caregiver
If you remember nothing else, remember this. Arkansas Medicaid covers a monthly supply of the routine trach care items your loved one’s physician prescribes, including trach ties, trach straps, tracheostomy tube ties, suction catheters, and the rest of the recommended trach suctioning equipment. The supplier handles the paperwork, the refills, and the delivery. Your job is the care, and Finnegan Health Services’ job is making sure the supplies are on the shelf when you need them. For the how-to side of the routine, our Caregiver’s Guide to Trach Tie Changes Under Medicaid walks through the daily procedure step by step.
