Wellcare Transportation Benefit & Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Our plans offer one-way rides. This means if you need a ride to bring you to your appointment AND then take you back home after your appointment, you will need to schedule two, one-way rides:

• Ride 1: From your home to your appointment
• Ride 2: From your appointment back to your home

Each time you take a ride using your transportation benefit, it gets subtracted from your total number of rides.

For example, you could have a total of 50 one-way rides included with your plan. If you scheduled one ride to take you to the doctor’s office and a second ride to take you back home, that would be 2 one-way rides.

These 2 one-way rides get subtracted from your total of 50 rides, so you would now have 48 rides left.

*If you think you’re experiencing a life-threatening medical emergency and need immediate medical attention, call 911*

If you become sick or hurt and need to see a doctor the same day, you can schedule an urgent ride. To schedule an urgent ride, call the phone number listed for transportation on the back of your Member ID card and let them know you need an urgent ride.

• Urgent rides don’t have to be scheduled ahead of time.
• Only urgent rides can be scheduled outside of normal business hours.

If you run out of rides, call Member Services at the phone number on the back of your Member ID Card. Our team will assist you and see if you have other transportation options.

Sometimes our transportation providers use ride-share companies like Uber or Lyft to give rides to members.

• Ride-share drivers use their own cars and can only wait up to 5 minutes for you. So, make sure you are at the pick-up location on time—or early.
• The ride-share driver cannot help you in and out of the car.
• A companion, family member or friend may ride with you in an Uber or Lyft.

You can schedule a ride by calling the phone number listed for Transportation on the back of your Member ID card. It’s a good idea to schedule a ride as soon as you know you will need one.

You will need to schedule a ride at least 3 days before you need it. For example, if you need a ride on Friday, you will need to call to schedule your ride on or before Tuesday.

You can also schedule a ride up to 30 days in advance, so you can plan ahead for your appointments.

For most plans, you can call to schedule your rides Monday through Friday between 8am and 5pm. You can only call outside of these hours if you need an urgent ride.

Don’t wait until after your appointment to schedule a ride home. If you do, you may need to wait for up to three hours for your ride.

When you call your transportation provider for the first time to schedule your first ride, they will ask if you have a specific transportation need. This is so your driver will know if you need assistance to or from the car, extra time, or a specific type of vehicle.

Let your transportation provider know if you:

• Need help getting in or out of the car
• Use a walker, cane, or wheelchair
• Need a wheelchair-accessible van, or another specific vehicle

This way, your transportation provider can make sure you have the right vehicle for every trip, and your driver will be ready to help you if needed.

When you schedule your ride, your transportation provider will give you an estimated pick-up time. You should be outside and ready to go at the estimated pick-up time.

Make sure you have your member ID card, your purse or wallet, phone, and anything else you’ll need for your appointment. It’s also a good idea to be ready a couple of minutes early. Drivers may wait 5 to 10 minutes before they need to leave. 

If you don’t schedule a ride at least 3 days before your appointment, you may need to use other transportation. If you can’t find other transportation, we recommend that you call your doctor and reschedule your appointment.

You can’t schedule an urgent ride because you forgot to schedule a ride for your appointment ahead of time.

Call the phone number listed for transportation on the back of your Member ID card to reschedule or cancel your ride.

Please call to cancel or reschedule your ride instead of not showing up. This allows us to provide rides to more members.

If you don’t show up for your scheduled ride, the trip may be deducted from your total number of rides.

If your ride doesn’t arrive at your estimated pick-up time, or you can’t find it, call the phone number listed for transportation on the back of your Member ID card. They can check on your driver.

Yes, you may apply for reimbursement if you use other transportation, like the bus, to get to your appointments. You need to get prior authorization, or pre-approval, from your plan before you can get reimbursed.

For example, if you took the bus to and from your appointment, your transportation provider can reimburse you for the bus fare. Or if a family member drives you to your appointments and pays for gas, you can be reimbursed for gas.

Before you can get paid back for rides, you need to get prior authorization, or pre-approval, from your plan.

• Call Member Services for a Prior Authorization Form. We recommend you call for prior authorization 3 days before your appointment so there’s enough time for your request to be reviewed.
  • From April 1 to September 30, you can call between 8am and 8pm Monday thru Friday. From October 1 to March 31, you can call between 8am and 8pm every day.
• After you get plan approval, call the transportation provider before your appointment to ask for a reimbursement form.
• Bring the form with you to your appointment, so your doctor can sign the form.

After you are paid back for your ride, or rides, the number of rides you were reimbursed for is subtracted from the total number of rides you have with your plan.

 Note: The phone number you call for Member Services is different than the number you call to reach your transportation provider. Make sure you’re calling the right number.