Transportation continues to be a significant barrier to care for millions of people every year — especially those in underserved populations, who disproportionately lack access to reliable rides. That’s why earlier this year, we were excited to announce our approval as an enrolled Medicaid provider in Arizona, making Lyft the first national ridesharing company to bring its non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) services to millions of Medicaid patients.
Today, we are proud to share that we’re expanding this program with NEMT transportation brokers to provide rides for eligible Medicaid patients in Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia and Missouri. With the support of both Medicaid programs and health plans to include rideshare as a transportation provider type, we now have the potential to positively impact the lives of millions more across the country - with an average of 17 percent of the population in these six states enrolled in Medicaid.
Collaborating with Medicaid Agencies, Health Plans, and Transportation Managers to Modernize Medicaid Transportation
We take a localized approach by working with forward-thinking policymakers and regulators to collaborate on how we can offer reliable and cost-effective transportation options for Medicaid members in their state. This allows us to meet the individual needs of Medicaid partners and patients on a state and local level.
One of those forward-thinkers is Todd Richardson, Director of MO HealthNet, who was a champion in bringing rideshare to Missouri in the state house, and now for Medicaid.
“Improving access to quality healthcare for Missouri citizens is crucial. We understand the benefits of rideshare in reducing barriers to care, and we support making it easier for Medicaid patients to access Lyft in Missouri.” - Todd Richardson, MO HealthNet Director
We collaborated with the innovative state Medicaid agency in Georgia, which now includes Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) as an approved transportation provider category, enabling Lyft to provide rides in the state through our broker partners, like LogistiCare.
“Since 2017, we’ve partnered with Lyft to enhance our national transportation network and increase access to care for our patients,” said Effie Carlson, EVP and Chief Growth Officer at LogistiCare. “This year, we're excited to build upon this relationship for our Medicaid beneficiaries in select states. The ability to amplify our collective impact by providing flexible options for so many will continue to be meaningful in addressing the basic barriers to positive health outcomes.”
In Tennessee, transportation to and from the doctor has been cited as a key issue, with rideshare suggested as a preferred solution. That’s why Lyft has collaborated with the Tennessee Medicaid Agency, TennCare, Tennessee Carriers Inc., and the regional Medicaid managed care plan of Amerigroup Community Care Tennessee to design and launch a pilot which will assess incorporating rideshare in the state NEMT benefit.
“The entire healthcare community, especially Medicaid programs, are recognizing the outsized impact that social determinants of health have on impacting the well-being and health outcomes of individuals,” said Dr. Victor Wu, Chief Medical Officer at TennCare. “Lyft has partnered with two of TennCare’s Managed Care Organizations to pilot a scalable, patient-centered, and seamless solution to address hard-to-solve transportation needs. We look forward to seeing the positive impact the Lyft partnership will have on our members and supporting more opportunities to address transportation needs in the future.”
Our deep and expansive partnerships — from the largest nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) managers and health plans to multiple local hospitals and top health systems — enable us to impact Medicaid programs and their beneficiaries at scale across the country. These relationships, along with thoughtful product features that enable riders without smartphones to access these services, are allowing us to reach more Medicaid members than ever before.
Driving Better Access to Health
We are optimistic about this significant momentum, and the increasing interest in providing on-demand and cost efficient transportation for Medicaid beneficiaries across the country, which has the potential to impact the nearly 65 million people on Medicaid -- nearly one-fifth of the US population. We are proud to play a key role in accelerating these important changes, and will continue to work with forward-thinking policymakers and regulators to offer more safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation options for members across the country.