Modivcare in Illinois: Aetna Better Health and CountyCare Rides (2027)

Modivcare, the broker once called LogistiCare, has been one of the two companies that book HealthChoice Illinois rides. On October 1, 2026 its share shrinks: Blue Cross Community Health Plans, the biggest plan in the program, moves its rides to MTM Health. Modivcare keeps two plans, Aetna Better Health of Illinois and CountyCare. For the state plates, IMPACT enrollment, and fee-for-service rules, see the Illinois guide. For how Modivcare works in every state, see the Modivcare guide.

Which Illinois plans Modivcare serves from October 1, 2026

The HFS subcontractor list for October 2026 names ModivCare as the transportation vendor for two of the six HealthChoice Illinois plans:

Plan	Where it serves	Members, August 2026	Member ride line
Aetna Better Health of Illinois	Every county	306,318	866-913-1265
CountyCare	Cook County only	376,740	855-444-1661 or 312-864-8200
Blue Cross Community Health Plans	Every county	682,745	Moves to MTM Health on October 1, 2026, same line 877-831-3148

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois announced the change on June 26, 2026 and repeated it on August 26, 2026. MTM carries out recurring trips and trips already booked for after the switch, and members do nothing. If your vans ran Blue Cross trips for Modivcare, you need an MTM contract to keep those riders. See MTM Health in Illinois and Blue Cross Community Health Plans transportation.

CountyCare, the Cook County Health plan, has used Modivcare since August 1, 2024. Its booking rules, transit passes, and late-driver line are on the CountyCare transportation page.

A new plan in 2027

HFS awarded new HealthChoice Illinois contracts on June 8, 2026 to Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Meridian, Molina, CountyCare, and Humana Benefit Plan of Illinois. HFS’s quality methodology for measurement year 2027, issued in August 2026, counts Humana as new on January 1, 2027. The October 2026 subcontractor list has no Humana row yet, so no ride vendor is named for its Medicaid members. Watch the HFS list before January.

Medicare plans on Modivcare’s Illinois pages

Modivcare’s Illinois member and facility pages, as of September 30, 2026, also list ride lines for Medicare and retiree plans:

• Ascension Complete, 1-877-718-4201
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC) Medicare, 1-844-452-9379
• WellCare, 1-877-902-6784
• HCSC group retiree plans, 1-866-824-1566, a national line

The same pages still show HealthSpring Medicare Advantage for South Illinois and the Midwest Illinois market at 1-866-214-5126. HealthSpring made MTM Health the sole ride vendor for its Medicare Advantage members on March 1, 2026, so that listing is out of date. See HealthSpring’s move to MTM, and ask Modivcare which of these programs your agreement actually covers.

Where Modivcare’s Illinois riders live

HFS’s enrollment report dated September 2, 2026 shows how lopsided Modivcare’s Illinois work is. In Cook County, CountyCare’s 376,740 members and Aetna’s 92,752 make 469,492 riders, about 44 percent of the county’s plan members. Outside Cook, Modivcare has only Aetna: 213,566 of 1,191,222 plan members, about 18 percent.

Aetna’s biggest counties outside Cook, with its share of each county’s HealthChoice members in August 2026:

County	Aetna members	Aetna share
Winnebago	16,105	23 percent
Will	12,994	14 percent
Lake	12,070	13 percent
DuPage	10,608	10 percent
Kane	8,308	10 percent
Peoria	7,596	19 percent
Macon	7,222	30 percent, the largest plan
Sangamon	7,125	20 percent
Rock Island	6,879	22 percent
St. Clair	6,656	13 percent
La Salle	6,527	35 percent, the largest plan

Aetna is the largest plan in 28 counties. Apart from La Salle and Macon, they are small counties, such as Crawford, Effingham, Livingston, Massac, Union, and White. Its highest shares are in Pope (42 percent), Warren (40 percent), and Crawford (39 percent). In those counties a Modivcare contract reaches more plan riders than any single MTM plan. In the collar counties around Chicago, Aetna holds only 9 to 14 percent, so a company there leans on MTM for most plan work. See working for several brokers.

Aetna Better Health rules your drivers work under

Aetna’s member handbook for 2026 and its transportation flyer of 2023 set these rules for Aetna Medicaid trips:

Rule	What Aetna tells members
Booking notice	At least two business days, or 48 hours, for a routine visit
Urgent trips and discharges	Modivcare schedules them around the clock at 866-913-1265
Who can book	Members 16 or older, a parent or legal guardian, an authorized representative or caregiver, a plan case manager, or a participating provider
Vehicles	Ambulatory and wheelchair-equipped vehicles
Unknown return time	The member calls back and picks Ride Assist. The transportation company then has up to one hour to arrive.
Extra riders	Eligible members can bring two additional passengers
Riding alone	Members 16 or older. From age 12 with a parental waiver. Under 12, only with an adult 18 or older.
Pharmacy	Only right after a doctor’s appointment
Emergency room	Not covered through Modivcare. Members call 911.

The one-hour rule is the one that shapes your day. Every Ride Assist call on an Aetna will-call trip starts a clock, so keep a van free near the clinics that send you Aetna riders. Ask at booking who is coming along, since an eligible Aetna member can bring two companions. See escorts and caregivers and children in NEMT.

Some Aetna rides never reach a van. Members who drive themselves can set up a trip for mileage reimbursement, and Aetna’s flyer allows up to 30 business days for payment after Modivcare’s claims department gets the form. The Illinois plans’ transportation toolkit, updated May 31, 2024, also lists mass transit, and adds nutritional services, diabetes supplies and education, and Aetna events as covered destinations. It gives MLTSS members their own line, 1-866-913-1441.

Aetna members who need a non-emergency ambulance do not go through Modivcare. Since January 1, 2022, Aetna has sent them to the state’s prior approval vendor, then First Transit and now Transdev, at 877-725-0569. Aetna’s notice asks members to call at least 7 days before the visit. See Transdev Health Solutions.

The Illinois trip forms Modivcare uses

Modivcare posts two Illinois forms, both headed with its Phoenix office at 2602 S. 47th St. Both go to fax 877-272-3629, and the phone line for them is 877-917-4149.

• IL Standing Order Form. For repeat trips. The facility marks the days, the appointment and return times, a start and end date or “ongoing,” the level of service, and the treatment: dialysis, substance abuse, mental health, adult day care, or other. A physician signs it. It also records whether the member can sign the driver’s log, and whether that answer is permanent.
• IL Transportation Request Form. For one trip. It must arrive at least 72 hours before the appointment, with every field filled in, or the trip is not scheduled. It asks for the wheelchair type (manual, electric, or scooter), the rider’s height and weight, how many steps there are, whether there is a ramp, whether the rider can move to a sedan, and whether the return is a will-call.

The level of service boxes on both forms run from ambulatory and wheelchair to stretcher, mass transit, gas reimbursement, and basic or advanced life support. Facilities can also book online through TripCare, which they sign up for on Modivcare’s Illinois facility page.

A standing order repeats the same trips on the same days until its end date, so one form from a dialysis unit can set up months of rides. See NEMT standing orders and dialysis transportation.

How to join Modivcare’s Illinois network

Illinois requires every transportation company that serves plan members to enroll with HFS in IMPACT first, with a fingerprint background check and a possible site visit. Each vehicle also needs the right Secretary of State plates, and the Illinois guide walks through both.

1. Finish IMPACT enrollment and get your HFS provider number.
2. Get the Chicago license if you will run trips in the city. Chicago licenses each medical carrier vehicle for a July 1 to June 30 term. See NEMT in Chicago.
3. Send Modivcare’s Become a Transportation Provider form. Our Modivcare guide lists the driver training, vehicle, and insurance items it checks.
4. Name your counties and your plans. Point to the table above. In Cook, ask for CountyCare and Aetna trips. Downstate, ask whether Modivcare needs Aetna coverage in your counties, and whether your agreement covers any of its Medicare programs.
5. Bill the way your agreement says. CountyCare’s provider manual of September 8, 2026 sends its car and van claims to CountyCare c/o Modivcare, 798 Park Ave. NW, Norton, VA 24273, by fax to 866-528-0462 or by email to support.claims@modivcare.com, with a claims helpline at 800-930-9060. Ask Modivcare where Aetna trips go.

Modivcare sets what each trip pays in your agreement. HFS’s fee-for-service rates for your county, in the Illinois guide, are the fairest number to compare an offer against. See negotiating broker rates and contracting with Medicaid health plans.

Who to call

For	Contact
Aetna Better Health rides	Modivcare, 866-913-1265
Aetna Better Health benefits	Member Services, 1-866-329-4701 (TTY 711)
CountyCare rides	855-444-1661 or 312-864-8200
Illinois standing orders and one-time trip forms	Fax 877-272-3629, phone 877-917-4149
CountyCare trip claims	800-930-9060, fax 866-528-0462
Blue Cross Community Health Plans rides from October 1, 2026	MTM Health, 877-831-3148
Non-emergency ambulance approval	Transdev, 877-725-0569
Joining the network	The Become a Transportation Provider form at modivcare.com

What to do first

1. Sort your riders by plan. Aetna and CountyCare stay with Modivcare. Blue Cross riders move to MTM on October 1, 2026.
2. Apply to MTM if Blue Cross trips were part of your week.
3. Check your county in the table above to see how much Modivcare work there is near you.
4. Plan for the one-hour Aetna return, and keep a van near the clinics that send you Aetna riders.
5. Give nearby dialysis units and clinics the IL Standing Order Form and the fax number.