Many seniors may have difficulty getting to their doctor or primary care physician. As a Medicare beneficiary, there are important things you need to know about how Medicare covers medical transportation.
Medicare and Medical Transportation
Enrollees who have had a sudden health crisis or accident will need emergency transportation if their health is in danger. It may be harmful to ride in a car or a taxi to a medical facility in these cases. An individual will need emergency medical transportation if they are unconscious or in shock from an accident or if their health condition requires medical care while going to a medical facility.
Medical transportation also includes emergency air transport if the beneficiary is in a place that is inaccessible to a ground ambulance or if the traffic conditions are not suitable for ground transport.
Under Original Medicare, you can get coverage for emergency medical transportation in an ambulance. Part B will cover medical transportation if you need emergency services that are medically necessary and if other forms of transport could put the enrollee’s life at risk.
Original Medicare does not usually cover non-emergency transportation, only with a few exceptions. For non-emergency transportation, Part B will offer coverage if your doctor certifies that the ambulance ride is medically necessary. Medicare Advantage plans often include non-emergency transportation during doctor’s visits as part of the plan benefits. Non-emergency medical transportation includes medical transportation to an outpatient facility, skilled nursing facility, doctor’s office, or any other facility for non-emergency care.
Costs
If you are enrolled in Medicare, you must meet the deductible before Medicare covers the approved costs. After that, Medicare will cover 80% of the approved costs for medical transportation services, while you’ll cover the remaining 20%. To get coverage for medical transportation, you must be enrolled in Medicare Part B or a Medicare Advantage plan that offers transportation as part of its plan benefits.
To get help with your Part B out-of-pocket costs for medical transportation, you can enroll in a Medicare Supplement plan.
Reach Out Today
At Kannonball Insurance Solutions, we are focused on helping you get the coverage you need. Contact us today for more information about each part of Medicare and the coverage and costs you can expect.
