Chapter 5 responds to a mandate from the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations that MACPAC report on Medicaid’s non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) benefit. Federal law requires that state Medicaid programs ensure transportation to and from providers. NEMT was initially described in regulation as an administrative requirement. Congress clarified that NEMT is a statutorily required benefit in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (P.L. 116-260).
MACPAC reviewed state policies, conducted interviews with stakeholders, analyzed administrative data, and held focus groups to examine beneficiaries’ experiences using NEMT and state approaches to administering the benefit. States may manage the benefit directly, contract with a third-party broker, or provide services under Medicaid managed care contracts. Although federal policy encourages coordination across federally assisted transportation programs, in most states, NEMT is not well coordinated with other programs. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how states are using technology to improve program performance and how they are addressing concerns about program integrity.
From: June 2021 Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP