Does Medicare Cover Transportation Services?

Emergency ambulance services (Part B)

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers ground ambulance transportation to a hospital, critical access hospital, or skilled nursing facility when traveling any other way could endanger your health and you need medically necessary care. This is the core of Medicare's transportation coverage.

Medicare only pays to take you to the nearest appropriate medical facility that can give you the care you need. If you choose to be taken somewhere farther away, Medicare bases its payment on the cost to the nearest appropriate facility, and you may owe the difference.

In a true emergency, Medicare may also pay for transport by airplane or helicopter when you need immediate and rapid transport that ground transportation cannot provide — for example, when ground travel is impossible or would take too long to get you the care you need in time.

• Covered destinations include a hospital, critical access hospital, or skilled nursing facility.
• The trip must be medically necessary — other transport would put your health at risk.
• Medicare pays only to the nearest appropriate facility able to treat you.
• Air ambulance (plane or helicopter) is covered only for emergencies ground transport cannot handle.

Non-emergency ambulance transport

In some cases Medicare pays for medically necessary non-emergency ambulance transportation, but only if you have a written order from your doctor or health care provider stating that the ambulance transport is medically necessary. A common example is a person with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) who needs ambulance transport to and from a dialysis facility because their condition makes other travel unsafe.

If you get ambulance services in a non-emergency situation and the company believes Medicare may not pay, the company must give you an Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN). The ABN explains that Medicare may deny the claim and estimates what you might owe out of pocket, so you can decide whether to accept the service.

Medicare also runs a prior authorization program for people with Original Medicare who need repetitive, scheduled non-emergent ambulance transport (RSNAT). This program is in effect nationwide. A 'repetitive' service is defined as medically necessary ambulance transportation furnished 3 or more times during a 10-day period, or at least once per week for at least 3 weeks — for example, recurring dialysis trips. Getting prior authorization confirms coverage before the trips begin.

What you pay for ambulance services in 2026

For Medicare-covered ambulance services under Original Medicare, you first meet your Part B deductible, then pay a share of the cost.

These figures apply to Original Medicare. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy, your out-of-pocket costs may be different.

• Part B deductible (2026): $283 per year — you pay this before Medicare starts paying.
• Coinsurance: after the deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount; Medicare pays the other 80%.
• Part B standard premium (2026): $202.90 per month.
• If you get an ABN and Medicare denies the claim, you may be responsible for the full cost.

Rides to doctor appointments, dialysis, and the pharmacy

Original Medicare does NOT cover routine, non-emergency transportation to doctor appointments — there is no benefit for rides by car, taxi, or rideshare such as Uber or Lyft. Standard transportation coverage under Part B is limited to medically necessary ambulance services.

This means that if you simply need a ride to a routine checkup, a lab, or to pick up prescriptions, Original Medicare will not pay for it. Ambulance transport to dialysis or chemotherapy can be covered, but only when an ambulance is medically necessary and the requirements above (written order, and prior authorization for repetitive trips) are met — not for a standard car or van ride.

If you need help getting to appointments, two other paths may help: a Medicare Advantage plan that includes a transportation benefit, or Medicaid if you qualify (see below).

Medicare Advantage and Medicaid options

Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans must cover at least the same basic benefits as Original Medicare, including medically necessary ambulance services. The rules, costs, and where you can get care may differ from Original Medicare, so check your plan documents.

Beyond the basics, many Medicare Advantage plans offer supplemental transportation benefits that Original Medicare does not. These can include a set number of non-emergency rides to and from doctor appointments, and — for some enrollees with chronic conditions — non-medical rides such as trips to the pharmacy or grocery store. These benefits vary widely from plan to plan and are not available on every plan, so confirm the details in your plan's Evidence of Coverage before you rely on them.

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) to and from medical appointments is a covered benefit under Medicaid — not Original Medicare. If you are 'dual eligible' (you have both Medicare and Medicaid), you may be able to get rides to medical care through your state Medicaid program. Contact your state Medicaid office to learn how NEMT works where you live.