# MTM Health in Illinois: Blue Cross, Meridian, Molina, and Dual Plan Rides (2027)

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/illinois/ · Updated 2026-09-30

MTM Health books Medicaid rides in Illinois for Meridian, YouthCare, and Molina, and for Blue Cross Community Health Plans from October 1, 2026, about 70 percent of HealthChoice Illinois members. It also books rides for all four dual eligible plans. To get these trips, enroll your company in IMPACT with HFS, then apply on MTM's Join Our Network page and ask which plans your contract covers.

- From October 1, 2026, MTM books rides for four of the six HealthChoice Illinois plans, about 70 percent of members, and for all four dual eligible plans.
- Outside Cook County, MTM plans hold about 82 percent of plan members, and over 90 percent in Stephenson, McHenry, DeKalb, and Kendall.
- Molina is the largest plan in 12 counties, including Champaign, Vermilion, McLean, and Peoria, and its claims go through MTM's online portal.
- Molina claims need the rider's PCS or CTS within 5 business days of the claim file, and a claim note that starts with "TR,".
- Aetna's dual plan asks members to book 2 business days ahead, and its drivers are not required to help riders between the door and the vehicle.

## MTM Health in Illinois at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| HealthChoice plans | Blue Cross Community Health Plans (from October 1, 2026), Meridian, Molina, and YouthCare, on the HFS subcontractor list for October 2026 |
| Dual eligible plans | All four FIDE SNPs: Aetna Medicare FIDE, Humana Dual Fully Integrated, Molina Medicare Complete Care Plus, and Wellcare Meridian Dual Align |
| Riders | 1,570,759 members of its four HealthChoice plans in August 2026, about 70 percent of the program, plus 80,709 in the four dual plans |
| Share by area | About 82 percent of plan members outside Cook County and 56 percent in Cook. Over 90 percent in Stephenson, McHenry, DeKalb, and Kendall. |
| Member ride lines | Blue Cross 877-831-3148, Meridian 866-796-1165, Molina 844-644-6354, YouthCare through Member Services at 844-289-2264 |
| Molina booking notice | 48 hours before the trip, in the Illinois plans' transportation toolkit of May 31, 2024 |
| Molina claims | Through MTM's online claims portal, with the PCS or CTS form within 5 business days of the claim file (billing manual, June 29, 2026) |
| Joining | Enroll in IMPACT with HFS, then apply to MTM: application, interview, contract, credentialing, training, and first trip |
| Headquarters | 16 Hawk Ridge Drive, Lake St. Louis, Missouri 63367, 636-561-5686. Network companies work through a Vendor Account Manager. |
| Pay | Set in MTM's contract with each company. Compare offers with the HFS fee-for-service schedule of January 1, 2026. |

MTM Health, short for Medical Transportation Management, is based in Lake St. Louis, Missouri. It has coordinated Meridian's Illinois Medicaid rides since November 1, 2010. On October 1, 2026 it also takes over Blue Cross Community Health Plans from Modivcare, and from that day MTM books the rides for most people in HealthChoice Illinois. The IMPACT enrollment, vehicle plates, and fee-for-service rates every Illinois company deals with are in the [Illinois guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/illinois/), and MTM's other states are in our [MTM Health guide](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/).

## Which Illinois plans MTM books rides for

HFS's subcontractor list for October 2026 names MTM for four HealthChoice Illinois plans, and its FIDE SNP list of June 2026 names MTM for all four dual plans:

| Plan | Program | Members, August 2026 | Member ride line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross Community Health Plans | HealthChoice, from October 1, 2026 | 682,745 | 877-831-3148 |
| Meridian | HealthChoice | 596,061 | 866-796-1165 |
| Molina Healthcare of Illinois | HealthChoice | 257,510 | 844-644-6354 |
| YouthCare | HealthChoice, for youth in DCFS care and former youth in care | 34,443 | Member Services, 844-289-2264 |
| Humana Dual Fully Integrated | Dual eligible | 26,261 | 855-253-6867 |
| Aetna Medicare FIDE | Dual eligible | 26,033 | 1-855-814-1699 |
| Molina Medicare Complete Care Plus | Dual eligible | 14,235 | 844-644-6353 |
| Wellcare Meridian Dual Align | Dual eligible | 14,180 | Member Services, 844-536-2180 |

The four HealthChoice plans held 1,570,759 of the program's 2,253,817 members in August 2026, about 70 percent. The other two plans, Aetna Better Health of Illinois and CountyCare, stay with Modivcare. See [Modivcare in Illinois](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/modivcare/illinois/).

The four dual plans are fully integrated dual eligible special needs plans (FIDE SNPs) for people with both Medicare and Medicaid. They replaced Illinois's Medicare-Medicaid Alignment Initiative on January 1, 2026, all four serve every county, and they had 80,709 members in August 2026. See [dual eligible](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/dual-eligible/). MTM has also booked HealthSpring Medicare Advantage rides since March 1, 2026, when [HealthSpring left Modivcare](https://nemtguide.com/news/healthspring-mtm-medicare-rides/).

### Humana's Medicaid plan starts in 2027

Humana Benefit Plan of Illinois won a HealthChoice Illinois contract on June 8, 2026, and HFS's methodology of August 2026 counts it as new on January 1, 2027. Its dual plan already uses MTM. The October 2026 HealthChoice list has no Humana row, though, so its Medicaid ride vendor is not named yet. Check the list again in December.

## Where MTM's Illinois riders are

Outside Cook County, MTM plans held 977,656 of 1,191,222 plan members in August 2026, about 82 percent. In Cook it is 593,103 of 1,062,595, about 56 percent, because CountyCare stays with Modivcare. HFS's enrollment report dated September 2, 2026 gives the biggest counties outside Cook:

| County | MTM plans' members | Share of the county's plan members | Largest MTM plan there |
|---|---|---|---|
| DuPage | 92,025 | 90 percent | Blue Cross |
| Lake | 83,966 | 87 percent | Meridian |
| Will | 79,566 | 86 percent | Blue Cross |
| Kane | 72,340 | 90 percent | Blue Cross |
| Winnebago | 52,743 | 77 percent | Meridian |
| St. Clair | 43,173 | 87 percent | Meridian |
| Madison | 36,023 | 86 percent | Meridian |
| Peoria | 32,517 | 81 percent | Molina |
| McHenry | 32,369 | 91 percent | Blue Cross |
| Sangamon | 28,685 | 80 percent | Meridian |
| Champaign | 28,405 | 85 percent | Molina |

MTM's share tops 90 percent in Stephenson, McHenry, DeKalb, and Kendall counties. Outside Cook it is lowest, about 6 in 10, in small counties where Aetna is the largest plan, such as Pope, Warren, and Crawford.

Molina is the largest plan in 12 counties, most of them in central Illinois: Champaign (41 percent of plan members), Vermilion (42 percent), McLean (35 percent), Peoria (32 percent), and Knox (36 percent), plus Bond, Clinton, De Witt, Ford, Fulton, Jersey, and Piatt. Around Champaign, Bloomington, Danville, and Peoria, more plan members belong to Molina than to any other plan, so Molina's rules below are the ones a company there works under most.

## Molina rides and claims through MTM

The Illinois health plans' transportation toolkit, updated May 31, 2024, gives Molina's HealthChoice members these rules:

- **Notice.** Trips are booked 48 hours ahead, at 844-644-6354.
- **Extra destinations.** Pharmacy trips, Molina community events, and rides for parents whose infants are still in the hospital's NICU.
- **Gas money.** Members may get gas reimbursement through MTM's mileage program instead of a ride. See [mileage reimbursement](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/mileage-reimbursement/).

The Illinois plans' Comprehensive Billing Manual, version 36.0 of June 29, 2026, sets how Molina trips are billed, and its Molina instructions send claims to MTM:

1. **Use MTM's online claims portal.** Molina transportation companies get access to submit claims, check status, appeal denials, and see check details. MTM trains companies that are new to it.
2. **Send the medical form in 5 business days.** A PCS (HFS 2270) or CTS (HFS 2271) must be submitted within 5 business days of the electronic claim file. When a hospital or nursing home books the ride, it completes the PCS and gives you a copy to send with the claim.
3. **Start the claim note with "TR,".** Every plan claim carries the state, the plate number, and the departure and arrival times in military time. For Molina the note reads like `TR, NTE*ADD*IL,12345678,1155,1220`.
4. **Report loaded miles** in Loop 2400, segment CR106, of the [837P](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/837p/). When riders share a van, only the first member picked up gets mileage, even if the riders belong to different plans.
5. **Mail paper claims only if you must** to MTM, Attention: Claims Department, 16 Hawk Ridge Dr., Lake St. Louis, MO 63367.

See [how to submit NEMT claims electronically](https://nemtguide.com/guides/submit-nemt-claims-electronically/) and [loaded miles](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/loaded-miles/).

## Trips for the four dual plans

Aetna's 2026 member handbook for Aetna Medicare FIDE sets these rules:

| Rule | Aetna Medicare FIDE, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Ride line | MTM Health, 1-855-814-1699 (TTY 711), weekdays 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time |
| Booking | At least two business days before the pickup |
| Changes | Up to one business day before the pickup |
| How members ride | A taxi, a transport van, or a rideshare, chosen by MTM |
| Counting | Each direction is a separate one-way trip |
| Help at the door | Drivers are not responsible for helping from the home door to the vehicle, or from the vehicle to the destination door. An escort may come along. |
| Ambulance | Non-emergency ground ambulance is not a plan benefit. Ambulance companies bill HFS. |

That makes Aetna's dual trips [curb-to-curb](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/curb-to-curb/) unless your MTM contract says more. HFS's June 2026 list gives a different number for the same plan, 888-513-1612, so ask MTM which line to give riders and clinics.

For Humana, the plans' toolkit of May 2024 listed the rules of its plan at the time on the same reservation line, 855-253-6867. Members booked at least 2 business days ahead, or 5 days or more for a wheelchair lift or stretcher vehicle, and up to 30 days out. MTM called the night before to confirm, and it kept a one-hour [pickup window](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/pickup-window/) before or after the set time. Ask your Vendor Account Manager whether those rules still apply to Humana Dual Fully Integrated.

## Blue Cross, Meridian, and YouthCare trips

Blue Cross Community Health Plans is the largest HealthChoice plan, and October 1, 2026 is its first day with MTM. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois said on August 26, 2026 that MTM carries out recurring trips and trips already booked for after that date, and that members keep calling 877-831-3148. The plans' billing manual of June 29, 2026 still lists Modivcare as the Blue Cross ride vendor, with a Blue Cross PCS fax of 877-272-3629, which is also the fax on Modivcare's Illinois trip forms. Ask MTM where Blue Cross medical forms go now. The plan's wait, return, and distance rules are on the [Blue Cross Community Health Plans transportation](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/blue-cross-community-health-plans-illinois/) page.

Meridian has used MTM since November 1, 2010, and YouthCare, which Meridian runs, uses it too. Their booking hours, gas money, and stretcher rules are on the [Meridian Illinois transportation](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/meridian-illinois/) page.

## How to join MTM in Illinois

The HFS transportation handbook of March 11, 2024 makes plan providers enroll in IMPACT just as fee-for-service providers do, with a fingerprint-based background check and possible on-site visits by the HFS Office of Inspector General. Your vans also need Secretary of State medical carrier or livery plates, as the [Illinois guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/illinois/) explains.

1. **Enroll in IMPACT and plate your vehicles.** In Chicago, medical carrier vehicles also need the city's medicar vehicle license. See NEMT in Chicago.
2. **Apply on MTM's Join Our Network page.** The [MTM Health guide](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/) walks through its onboarding steps, and [broker credentialing](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-broker-credentialing/) covers the paperwork.
3. **Name your counties and plans.** Use the county table above, and ask whether your contract covers Molina and the dual plans as well as Blue Cross and Meridian.
4. **Hand clinics the Illinois forms.** MTM's healthcare providers page posts Illinois-only copies of the CTS and PCS, updated June 5, 2024. A licensed medical professional completes the CTS for home pickups, and the form says transportation companies may not fill it out.

MTM sets each company's rates in its contract. HFS's fee-for-service rates in the Illinois guide are a fair starting point for that talk, and [negotiating broker rates](https://nemtguide.com/guides/negotiate-nemt-broker-rates/) covers how to ask. See also [contracting with Medicaid health plans](https://nemtguide.com/guides/contract-with-medicaid-health-plans/).

## Who to call

| For | Contact |
|---|---|
| Blue Cross Community Health Plans rides, from October 1, 2026 | 877-831-3148 |
| Meridian rides | 866-796-1165 |
| Molina rides | 844-644-6354 |
| YouthCare rides | Member Services, 844-289-2264 |
| Aetna Medicare FIDE rides | 1-855-814-1699 |
| Humana Dual Fully Integrated rides | 855-253-6867 |
| Molina Medicare Complete Care Plus rides | 844-644-6353 |
| Molina paper claims | MTM, Attention: Claims Department, 16 Hawk Ridge Dr., Lake St. Louis, MO 63367 |
| MTM headquarters | 636-561-5686 |
| Non-emergency ambulance approval, providers | Transdev, 866-503-9040. See [Transdev Health Solutions](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/transdev-health-solutions/). |
| Joining the network | The Join Our Network page at mtm-inc.net |

## What to do first

1. **Apply now if you drove Blue Cross riders for Modivcare,** because those trips come only through MTM from October 1, 2026.
2. **Find your county** in the table to see how much of your area's plan work MTM controls.
3. **Ask for Molina and the dual plans** in your contract if you work central Illinois or serve riders with both Medicare and Medicaid.
4. **Set up the claims portal** and a routine for sending each Molina PCS or CTS within 5 business days.
5. **Give nearby clinics and dialysis units** MTM's Illinois CTS and PCS forms.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the MTM phone number in Illinois?

Each plan has its own ride line. Blue Cross Community Health Plans members call 877-831-3148 from October 1, 2026, Meridian members 866-796-1165, and Molina members 844-644-6354. YouthCare rides go through Member Services at 844-289-2264. For the dual plans, Aetna Medicare FIDE members call 1-855-814-1699 and Humana Dual Fully Integrated members 855-253-6867. MTM's headquarters line is 636-561-5686.

### Which Illinois health plans use MTM for rides?

On the HFS list for October 2026, MTM books rides for Blue Cross Community Health Plans, Meridian, Molina, and YouthCare. On HFS's June 2026 list of dual eligible plans, it also serves Aetna Medicare FIDE, Humana Dual Fully Integrated, Molina Medicare Complete Care Plus, and Wellcare Meridian Dual Align. Aetna Better Health of Illinois and CountyCare use Modivcare.

### How do I become an MTM transportation provider in Illinois?

Enroll your company with Illinois Medicaid in IMPACT first, since HFS requires it of plan providers too. Then apply on MTM's Join Our Network page. A network representative contacts you, and you move through an interview, a contract, credentialing, and training before your first trip. If MTM has no need in your area, it keeps your application on file.

### How do I bill MTM for Molina trips in Illinois?

MTM gives Molina transportation companies access to its online claims portal, where you submit claims, check status, appeal denials, and see check details. Send the PCS or CTS form within 5 business days of submitting the electronic file. The claim note must start with "TR," before the state, plate, and trip times. Paper claims go to MTM's Claims Department in Lake St. Louis, Missouri.

### Does MTM book rides for Illinois dual eligible plans?

Yes. HFS's FIDE SNP list of June 2026 names MTM for all four of the state's fully integrated dual plans, which replaced the Medicare-Medicaid Alignment Initiative on January 1, 2026. They had 80,709 members in August 2026. Aetna's 2026 handbook asks members to book at least two business days before pickup.

### Will Humana's new Illinois Medicaid plan use MTM?

No vendor is named yet. Humana joins HealthChoice Illinois on January 1, 2027, and the HFS subcontractor list for October 2026 has no Humana row. Humana's dual plan, Humana Dual Fully Integrated, already books rides through MTM at 855-253-6867. Check the HFS list again before January 2027.

## Official resources

- [MTM Health: Apply to join the transportation network](https://www.mtm-inc.net/driverswanted/)
- [MTM Health: Illinois CTS and PCS forms for healthcare providers](https://www.mtm-inc.net/healthcare-providers/)
- [HFS: HealthChoice Illinois MCO subcontractor list](https://hfs.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/hfs/medicalclients/managedcare/healthchoiceilmcosclist.pdf)
- [HFS: FIDE SNP plans subcontractor list](https://hfs.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/hfs/medicalclients/managedcare/fidesnpmcosubcontlist.pdf)
- [Illinois health plans: Comprehensive Billing Manual (transportation claims)](https://irp.cdn-website.com/9e648e12/files/uploaded/IAMHP+Billing+Guide+v36.pdf)
- [HFS: IMPACT provider enrollment](https://hfs.illinois.gov/impact.html)