Medicaid’s Non-Emergency Medical Transportation: The Critical Role of Mobility Services in Accessing Behavioral and Preventive Health Care

Abstract

Medicaid’s non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) facilitates free or low-cost transportation to and from medical appointments for enrollees who otherwise lack access to reliable and affordable transportation. The goal of this project is to examine changes in the costs and utilization of NEMT for accessing behavioral health services (including mental health and substance abuse treatment) and preventive services (including primary care and specialist visits) by residential locations of Medicaid beneficiaries since an improvement in the data collection system in Washington state in 2011. The system update was implemented following a federal audit, with the objectives of better service monitoring, understanding usage patterns, and improving overall program efficiency.