Does Heart2Heart Accept Medicaid?

Why we are telling you this so directly

This page exists to save you time. Arranging medical transportation while managing an illness is exhausting, and the worst version of it is calling six providers who each say 'maybe, let me check' before landing on the same no. So: we do not accept Medicaid. Not for dialysis, not for wheelchair trips, not for stretcher or ambulance transport, not with a supervisor's approval, not as an exception.

That is a business-model decision about which payers we are set up to work with, and it will not change based on how urgent the situation is. We would rather you know in the first sentence and spend your next phone call on something productive.

Where Georgia Medicaid members should start

Georgia's Medicaid program provides non-emergency medical transportation as a covered benefit through regional transportation brokers, and for Medicaid managed care members, through the health plan itself. These rides are arranged for you at no cost when the trip is to a Medicaid-covered service.

The fastest route to a ride is the member services number printed on the back of your Medicaid or health plan card. Ask specifically for 'non-emergency medical transportation' or NEMT. A few things help every one of those calls go faster:

• Call your plan's member services number, not a transport company, to arrange a Medicaid-covered ride
• Book as far ahead as your plan allows — most brokers require advance notice for routine appointments
• Have your member ID, appointment date and time, and the clinic's full address ready
• Tell them if you need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle or a stretcher, so the right vehicle is assigned
• Your dialysis clinic or hospital social worker can often make this call with you or on your behalf

If you would rather book directly and pay privately

Some people who have Medicaid coverage still choose to book privately, and we want to be careful about how we say this: if the broker system works for you, use it — it is free to you and you are entitled to it. But if you have hit its limits, private pay is an option that is open to anyone.

The reasons riders give us are usually the same: the broker could not accommodate a same-day discharge, the assigned vehicle was hours late for a treatment that could not be moved, or the pickup was a curb drop-off when the rider needed someone to come inside. Private booking means you choose the time, you get an exact itemized price before you commit, and door-through-door assistance is standard rather than an upgrade.

What direct booking costs, and how to spread it

Our rates are published and identical for everyone: $180 base plus $9.60 per mile for a wheelchair van, $420 base plus $13.20 per mile for a stretcher van, and $450 base plus $15 per mile for a BLS ambulance, with a $100 minimum. Comfort package, door-through-door assistance, and one companion are included at no charge. Optional add-ons are Lift Assist at $75, an Extra Stop at your vehicle's base fare per stop plus the added mileage, and additional companions at $25 each.

Private-pay trips are paid by card; call dispatch at (678) 696-1583 with payment questions. For riders with a standing weekly schedule, membership plans bundle covered rides at a lower effective monthly cost than booking one trip at a time.

One thing that is not affected by any of this

If you are having a medical emergency, call 911. Emergency response is not a private-pay question and it is not a Medicaid question — it is available to you regardless of coverage, and no one should delay an emergency call while sorting out payment.