The transportation Medicare pays for can depend on the situation. Medicare typically covers emergency and nonemergency medical transport as long as it is medically necessary and meets specific requirements.
Medicare Part B covers the ground or air ambulance services that a person may need in a medical emergency. In specific circumstances, Medicare may also cover non-emergency medical transportation.
This article explains how Medicare covers emergency and nonemergency medical transportation costs and under what circumstances the plan will generally approve coverage.
Glossary of Medicare terms
- Out-of-pocket cost: This is the amount a person must pay for care when Medicare does not pay the total amount or offer coverage. Costs can include deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, and premiums.
- Premium: This is the amount of money someone pays each month for Medicare coverage.
- Deductible: This is an annual amount a person must spend out of pocket within a certain period before Medicare starts to fund their treatments.
- Coinsurance: This is the percentage of treatment costs that a person must self-fund. For Medicare Part B, coinsurance is 20%.
- Copayment: This is a fixed dollar amount a person with insurance pays when receiving certain treatments. For Medicare, this usually applies to prescription drugs.
Medicare Part B covers emergency and non-emergency ambulance services when necessary. If a person is covered by Medicare Part A and lives in a skilled nursing facility (SNF), the SNF should pay for transport costs and not charge Medicare for transport services.
Medicare Advantage should offer the same coverage as Original Medicare (parts A and B). This means that people with Medicare Advantage would receive the same transportation as those under Original Medicare.
However, Medicare Advantage companies may require a person to choose in-network ambulance services to receive full reimbursement. Advantage should also plan for non-emergency medical transportation when medically necessary.
In eligible cases, Medicare Part B covers 80% of transport costs after a person meets the annual deductible of $257. A person must also pay a monthly premium, which starts at $185, depending on their income.
Meanwhile, Part C plans are managed by private insurers and have different premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance depending on a person’s plan.
According to the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare (CMS), the average monthly premium for Part C plans is around $17.00 in 2025. To be enrolled in a Part C plan, a person must still pay the Part B premium, though some Part C may cover your Part B premium.
Medicare Part B will typically cover ambulance services when:
- There is a sudden medical crisis.
- There is a severe risk to a person’s health.
- Moving a person from one location to another may be impossible without the help of the emergency services.
- A person is losing a lot of blood, is unconscious, or is in shock.
- An individual is set to receive a Medicare-covered service.
- A person is going to and from locations within the Medicare coverage guidelines.
- The ambulance service meets Medicare requirements.
Medicare typically provides ambulance coverage to and from the following places:
| From | To |
|---|---|
| a hospital, SNF, critical access hospital (CAH), or rural emergency hospital (REH) | a person’s home |
| a hospital, SNF, CAH, or REH | the nearest healthcare professional |
| a person’s home (roundtrip included) | the nearest appropriate renal dialysis facility, hospital, SNF, CAH, or REH |
Does Medicare pay for an air ambulance?
A person may need transportation by helicopter or airplane if they need immediate and rapid transportation that a ground ambulance cannot provide.
If a person is medically required to travel to the hospital by air, Medicare may pay for these services, provided that ground transport cannot reach the location due to:
- heavy traffic
- bad weather impacting the roads
- a distance that is too long to reach by ground in time to save the person’s life
Does Medicare cover non-emergency transportation?
Generally, transportation that is not medically necessary is primarily a benefit of the Medicaid program, but some Medicare Advantage plans also offer this benefit.
In addition, Medicare does not cover transportation via an ambulette, a van that can accommodate a wheelchair for nonemergency transport.
However, a person may get certain nonemergency medical transportation covered by Medicare if they have a written order from a doctor stating that it is medically necessary.
This may happen when a person needs vital medical services during a trip, such as the monitoring of vital functions. This could also occur, for example, when a person requires dialysis on the way to the hospital.
A person may also need this when they are unable to:
- stand without assistance
- walk
- sit in a wheelchair or chair
Does Medicare pay for Uber for seniors?
Ride-sharing companies, such as Uber or Lyft, have also partnered with some Medicare Advantage programs to provide transportation.
This is because, in 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded Medicare Advantage companies’ ability to provide transportation for “primarily health-related” services. This allows companies to include transportation for activities related to nutrition or wellness, such as a therapeutic massage appointment or a trip to the grocery store.
Not all Medicare Advantage plans offer these extended transportation options, and they may differ from plan to plan. A person should call to learn the specific benefits of their plan.
When people can, they may drive themselves or use public transportation to get to a medical appointment.
In cases when an individual who requires transport has a disability, is an older adult who no longer drives, or is someone with a lower income who does not have Medicare, they may be able to get medical transportation in the following ways:
- Nonemergency medical transport (NEMT): If people have Medicaid, they can use nonemergency medical transport.
- Taxis: People can use taxis or ride-sharing companies like Lyft and Uber. Transportation voucher programs may be available to help with the cost.
- Dial-a-ride: Dial-a-ride requires advance reservation and sharing the ride with others.
- Paratransit: Paratransit involves personal care assistants helping people with disabilities through the public transit system.
- Nonprofit organizations: Local transportation programs by nonprofit or religious organizations may assist with transport, help with the cost, or both.
Medicare resources
For more resources to help guide you through the complex world of medical insurance, visit our Medicare hub.
Medicare Part B may cover emergency transport by road or air ambulance if a healthcare professional deems it medically necessary and under certain conditions.
Medicare may also consider coverage for nonemergency transport if a person is immobile or requires specific medication.
In most cases, a person may need a letter from a doctor stating that the ambulance or air transport is medically necessary.
Under some Medicare Advantage plans, a person may get certain additional medical transportation coverage. This coverage is usually for non-emergency transportation and may vary from plan to plan.
People who need it may also try to get additional non-Medicare transportation assistance and financial support. A person should check available resources in their area.
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