What is Medicare Advantage?

Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans are private health plans that contract with Medicare to cover enrollees. Original Medicare does not cover non-emergency transportation, but Medicare Advantage plans can add it as a supplemental benefit, and a growing share of plans do: typically a fixed number of one-way rides per year to medical appointments, pharmacies or, in some plans, fitness centers and grocery stores.

Why Medicare Advantage matters for NEMT

These benefits are usually administered by the same national brokers that run Medicaid NEMT, or by ride-hailing partnerships, so credentialed providers can pick up Medicare Advantage trips through their existing broker relationships. The rides tend to be shorter, more ambulatory and less regulated than Medicaid trips, and the members skew older, which makes them a good fit for providers looking to fill mid-day capacity.