Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT)
You may be able to get no-cost rides to your non-emergency doctor visits, even a monthly bus pass. If family or friends drive you to an appointment, you may be able to get help paying for gas. You may also qualify for reimbursement of meals and lodging.
Scheduling Rides
Rides must be set up at least 2 working days before an appointment. At times, urgent trips can be made with less than a 2-day notice. Access2Care may check with your doctor to make sure the appointment is urgent.
Rides can be scheduled up to 30 days in advance of an appointment. You can schedule rides up to 90 days in advance for certain types of appointments. These include dialysis, chemotherapy or radiation treatments.
To schedule a ride, you can call Access2Care. Or, you can use their mobile app.
Call Access2Care to schedule a ride
- Please call Access2Care at 1-833-404-1061 (TTY: 711).
- Press 2 for Member Services.
- Then press 1 for Transportation.
Use the mobile app to schedule a ride
- Visit the Google Play or Apple App Store on your smartphone. There, you can download the Access2Care app.
- Once you download it, click Register in the app.
- Enter your member ID, date of birth, home address, email address and phone number.
- You are now ready to schedule rides.
- IA Health Link members.
- Iowa Health and Wellness Plan members who have been deemed “medically exempt” by Iowa Department of Human Services.
- Hawki members.
- Iowa Health and Wellness Plan members who have not been deemed “medically exempt” by Iowa Department of Human Services.
"Medically exempt" includes people who have a:
- Disabling mental disorder. This includes adults with serious mental illness.
- Chronic substance use disorder(s).
- Serious and complex medical condition(s).
- Physical, intellectual or developmental disability that greatly lessens their ability to perform one or more activities of daily living.
- Disability determination based on Social Security criteria.
If a member is on an Intellectual Disability, Elderly, Brain Injury or Physical Disability Waiver Program, additional transportation benefits may be written into their service plan. These can include:
- Business errands.
- Essential shopping.
- Traveling to and from work or day programs.
- Reducing social isolation.
Members on these waivers can contact their case manager about having these benefits in their service plan.
To get help paying for gas, you must let Access2Care know before your scheduled appointment. Just call 1-833-404-1016 (TTY: 711), then press 2 for Member Services, then 1 for Transportation. Once you inform them, you will not need to follow up unless your appointment is cancelled, you add a pharmacy stop to your trip, or you change your destination.
No claim form needs to be submitted. All mileage reimbursements are paid within 30 days of the scheduled medical appointment.