# How to Contract with Medicaid Health Plans for Transportation in 2027

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/guides/contract-with-medicaid-health-plans/ · Updated 2026-09-29

To contract with Medicaid health plans for transportation, first enroll with your state Medicaid program, then find out who arranges rides for each plan in your county. Many plans hire a broker, so you apply to that broker. Some, such as Central California Alliance for Health, run rides themselves, so you apply to the plan's credentialing department and bill the plan directly.

- Many Medicaid health plans hand rides to a broker, and then contracting with the plan means contracting with its broker.
- Some plans run rides themselves, such as Central California Alliance for Health, and there you apply to the plan's own credentialing department.
- At the Alliance and Arizona Complete Health, credentialing works like a clinic's: a committee review, standard forms, Medicaid enrollment, and renewal every 36 months.
- A plan must tell you in writing why it turned you down, but it does not have to take every willing provider.
- Read the authorization, claim, payment, and termination terms before you sign.

When rides are part of a Medicaid health plan's benefits, the plan decides who drives its members. Many plans hire a broker to do that. Some do it themselves. Knowing which is which tells you whose door to knock on, what paperwork to expect, and where to send the bill.

## How Medicaid health plans handle transportation

A Medicaid [managed care organization](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/managed-care-organization/) is a health plan the state pays a set amount per member per month to cover its members' care. CMS guidance SMD 23-006 (September 28, 2023) says states may put transportation inside those plans under a section 1932(a) state plan amendment, a 1915(b) waiver, or a 1115 demonstration. The federal managed care rules in 42 CFR Part 438 then apply to the rides. States may also carve rides out and run them through a state broker instead. See [how states run NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/how-states-run-nemt/) for the model in yours.

Where rides are carved in, each plan answers for its own members. Under [42 CFR 438.206(b)(1)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-438.206), it must keep a network of providers, backed by written agreements, big enough to give all of its members adequate access, including members with disabilities. How it builds that network is the plan's choice.

| Setup | Who books the ride | Who you contract with | Who pays you |
|---|---|---|---|
| The plan hires a broker | The broker's call center | The broker | The broker |
| The plan runs rides itself | The plan's transportation department | The plan | The plan |
| Rides are carved out of the plans | The state's broker or program | The state's broker, or the state | The state's broker, or the state |

## Which plans run their own rides

Many plans use a broker. Some arrange rides in house and contract with transportation companies directly. These examples come from each state's or plan's own pages as of September 2026:

| State | Plan | Who arranges members' rides | Where you apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Central California Alliance for Health (Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties) | The Alliance's own transportation staff. Members call the Alliance. | The Alliance's credentialing department, with its transportation provider application |
| California | Partnership HealthPlan of California | The plan's Transportation Services Department | Ask the plan's provider relations team how it adds ride companies |
| California | IEHP | IEHP itself for NEMT since May 12, 2026. Call the Car keeps non-medical rides. | Ask the IEHP Provider Call Center, (909) 890-2054, how it adds ride companies |
| Arizona | Arizona Complete Health | Credentials NEMT vendors as its own network providers | Its potential provider request, then the credentialing forms Arizona's health plans share |
| Texas | 14 Medicaid plans | MTM Health, Modivcare, or SafeRide, depending on the plan | The plan's vendor |
| Iowa | Iowa Total Care, Molina, and Wellpoint | MTM Health for all three, and for fee-for-service | MTM Health |
| Tennessee | BlueCare, TennCare Select, UnitedHealthcare, and Wellpoint | Verida for BlueCare and TennCare Select, Tennessee Carriers for UnitedHealthcare and Wellpoint | The plan's vendor |
| Oregon | Each coordinated care organization | A local ride service, which Oregon calls a brokerage, listed by county | The ride service for your county |

In Texas, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas moves its Medicaid members from Modivcare to MTM Health on October 1, 2026. For broker details, see our pages on [MTM Health](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/), [SafeRide Health](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/saferide-health/), [Verida](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/verida/), and [Tennessee Carriers](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/tennessee-carriers/).

### How to find out who runs rides for each plan

1. **List the plans in your county.** Your state Medicaid agency's managed care page names them. In a carve-out state, you can skip the plans and go to the state's broker.
2. **Find each plan's ride number.** Look in the state's transportation contact page, as Texas, Iowa, and Tennessee publish, or in the transportation section of each plan's member handbook.
3. **See whose number it is.** If it belongs to a broker, apply to the broker. If members call the plan itself, as Alliance members do, the plan runs its own rides.
4. **Read the plan's provider manual.** Search the credentialing section for "transportation" or "NEMT." Arizona Complete Health lists NEMT vendors there, and the Alliance posts a transportation provider application.
5. **Call provider relations with three questions.** Do you contract with transportation companies directly? Which levels of service and counties are you short on? What is your application, and how long does it take?

## How plan credentialing differs from broker credentialing

Federal rules set the frame for every plan. Under [42 CFR 438.214](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-438.214), each state sets a uniform credentialing and recredentialing policy that its plans must follow, and each plan must follow a documented process. Plans may not contract with anyone excluded from federal health programs, and the state may add its own requirements.

The day-to-day process still differs. The two plans below credential a transportation company much as they credential a clinic or other organization. A broker focuses on every driver and vehicle you put on the road.

| | Plan that runs its own rides | Broker |
|---|---|---|
| Who reviews you | A plan committee. The Alliance's Peer Review and Credentialing Committee or a medical director reviews each application. | The broker's network and credentialing staff. MTM Health's Virginia process runs through application, credentialing, and contracting phases with an assigned representative. |
| First step | Arizona Complete Health's Potential Provider Committee must approve your request before credentialing starts | Verida's Georgia process starts with a request for qualifications and driver and vehicle lists, then checks for a need in the region |
| Forms | The plan's own application, or forms shared by a state's plans, such as the Arizona Association of Health Plans credentialing data forms | The broker's own portal and document list |
| Focus | Mostly the company: licenses, insurance, ownership, sanctions history, Medicaid enrollment | The company plus each driver and vehicle: background checks, drug tests, driving records, training, inspections |
| Time to a decision | Arizona Complete Health: within 60 calendar days of a complete application | Set by each broker |
| Renewal | Every 36 months at the Alliance and at Arizona Complete Health | Continuous. Expired driver or vehicle documents can cost you trips or payment. |
| How you bill | A standard claim to the plan. The Alliance lists the CMS claim form for NEMT. | The broker's portal, tied to each trip ID |

### What a plan-run program asks for

The Alliance's transportation provider application packet is a good picture of plan credentialing. It asks for:

- A W-9, your NPI and taxonomy code, your business license, and your fictitious business name statement
- Commercial liability coverage of $1,000,000 per claim and $3,000,000 aggregate, plus commercial vehicle liability
- California driver's licenses, and first aid and CPR certificates where they apply
- Signed declarations on confidentiality and debarment
- Answers to attestation questions on convictions, license actions, and sanctions by Medicare, Medicaid, or other health plans
- Your Medi-Cal enrollment

The Alliance sends a recredentialing application about 5 months before your 36 months run out, and says missing it can end your network status right away. Arizona Complete Health notifies providers 180 days ahead and makes a provider who misses recredentialing start over. It also requires a new application if you change your NPI or provider type.

### What a broker asks for

A broker checks the same company basics, then goes deeper on the fleet. MTM Health's Virginia handbook (approved August 10, 2026) keeps a company profile, a driver and attendant roster with training and screening dates, and a vehicle roster with inspection and insurance dates. MediDrive's Colorado list, in the state's memo of May 7, 2026, adds a 10-panel drug screen and federal background check within 30 days, an FBI fingerprint check, and driving records for the current year plus two. See [NEMT broker credentialing](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-broker-credentialing/) and the [credentialing checklist](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-credentialing-checklist/).

## Medicaid enrollment comes first

Either way, the state enrolls you before or alongside the plan. Under [42 CFR 438.602(b)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-438.602), the state must screen and enroll every network provider of its Medicaid plans, and you do not have to serve fee-for-service riders to enroll. A plan may sign you while enrollment is pending, for up to 120 days. If the state will not enroll you, the plan must end the agreement right away and tell affected members.

The state also attests to CMS, in its state plan, that its NEMT providers meet federal minimums. SMD 23-006 explains that section 1902(a)(87) of the Social Security Act sets four of them for every NEMT provider and driver paid under the state plan, other than a public transit authority:

1. The company and each driver are not excluded from federal health programs or on the HHS OIG exclusion list.
2. Every driver has a valid driver's license.
3. The company has a process to address any violation of a state drug law.
4. The company has a process to disclose each driver's driving history, including traffic violations, to the state.

Plans check your enrollment number too. Arizona Complete Health requires each participating provider to include its AHCCCS ID and NPI. See [how to become a Medicaid transportation provider](https://nemtguide.com/guides/how-to-become-a-medicaid-transportation-provider/) and the [NEMT taxonomy code](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/taxonomy-code/).

## What to check in a health plan transportation contract

| Term | What to look for | Rule or example |
|---|---|---|
| Services and area | The levels of service and counties you agree to cover | Ask the plan which ones it is short on |
| Authorization | Who approves each trip, and what paperwork comes first | The Alliance must authorize NEMT home after a discharge and to appointments, with 5 days' notice when possible. Partnership requires a certification statement from a health care professional before it arranges NEMT. |
| Rates | A rate for each code and modifier you will bill | Under 42 CFR 438.12(b)(2), plans may pay different rates for different specialties, or to different providers in the same specialty. See [NEMT billing codes](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-billing-codes/). |
| Claims | The claim form, where to send it, and the filing limit | The Alliance takes NEMT on the CMS claim form, on paper or electronically. See [the CMS-1500 for NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/cms-1500-for-nemt/). |
| Payment timing | When clean claims are paid | Under 42 CFR 447.46, a state's contract with a plan must meet the federal prompt pay standard for practitioners' clean claims (90 percent in 30 days, 99 percent in 90 days), unless the plan and provider set another schedule in their contract |
| Member billing | Whether you can ever bill the rider | Under 42 CFR 438.106, members are not liable for covered services even when the plan does not pay the provider |
| Ending the contract | Notice periods on both sides | Arizona Complete Health requires 60 days' written notice when a provider ends a subcontract |
| Recredentialing | How often and how much notice | Every 36 months at the Alliance and Arizona Complete Health |

In California, the certification statement for NEMT is often called a PCS form. IEHP reminds medical offices to complete one and keep it on file when they request NEMT trips. See the [medical necessity form](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/medical-necessity-form/).

## When a plan says no, or its network is full

A plan does not have to take every willing provider. Under [42 CFR 438.12](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-438.12), it need not contract with more providers than its members need. It may not turn you away solely because of the license or certification you hold, and it must give you written notice of the reason when it declines you. Keep that letter, because the reason tells you what to fix.

Two rules can still open a door:

- **Out-of-network care.** Under 42 CFR 438.206(b)(4), when a plan's network cannot provide a covered service to a member, the plan must cover it out of network, adequately and on time, for as long as the gap lasts. Ask how the plan pays for rides it cannot place.
- **Transition of care.** Under 42 CFR 438.62(b), when a member moves from fee-for-service into a plan, or between plans, and would face serious harm without continued services, the state's policy must let the member keep a current provider for a period, even out of network. Ask about it for a dialysis rider you already drive.

Other plans in the same county, the state's fee-for-service program, and facilities may still need you. See [what to do when a broker network is full](https://nemtguide.com/guides/broker-network-full/).

## Plans change how they run rides

A plan contract can change under you, just like a state broker contract. IEHP moved NEMT from Call the Car to its own staff on May 12, 2026. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas moves to MTM Health on October 1, 2026, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico on November 1, 2026. In Indiana, MDwise left the Healthy Indiana Plan and Hoosier Healthwise on January 1, 2026, and members of the remaining plans, Anthem, CareSource, and MHS, ride through WellTrans (bulletin BT202608).

Watch each plan's provider news page, and keep your credentials current with every plan and broker you work with. When a switch is announced, follow the [NEMT broker transition checklist](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-broker-transition/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I contract directly with a Medicaid health plan for NEMT?

Yes, where the plan arranges rides itself and contracts with ride companies. Central California Alliance for Health has its own transportation provider application, and Arizona Complete Health credentials NEMT vendors as network providers. Partnership HealthPlan of California and IEHP also arrange NEMT in house (September 2026), so ask their provider teams how they add companies. Where a plan hires a broker, you apply to the broker.

### How do I find out which broker a Medicaid plan uses?

Check the state's transportation contact page first. As of September 2026, Texas lists the ride vendor for each of its 14 Medicaid plans, Iowa lists MTM Health for all three of its plans, and TennCare lists Verida or Tennessee Carriers by plan. If your state has no list, the ride number in the plan's member handbook tells you who books its trips.

### Do I need Medicaid enrollment to contract with a health plan?

Yes. Under 42 CFR 438.602(b), the state must screen and enroll every network provider of its Medicaid health plans, even one that serves no fee-for-service riders. A plan may sign you while enrollment is pending for up to 120 days, but it must end the agreement right away if the state will not enroll you. The Alliance's application packet says every contracted provider must be enrolled in Medi-Cal.

### How long does health plan credentialing take?

It depends on the plan. Arizona Complete Health's provider manual says its committee first approves a potential provider request, and then it decides a complete credentialing application within 60 calendar days. Count the time for state Medicaid enrollment on top of that, because most plans will not credential you without it.

### What if a health plan says its transportation network is full?

A plan does not have to contract with more providers than its members need, under 42 CFR 438.12. It must give you written notice of the reason, and it may not turn you away solely because of the license or certification you hold. Ask which levels of service, counties, or hours it is short on, and apply again when you can fill that gap.

### How do I bill a health plan that runs its own rides?

On a standard claim to the plan, not in a broker portal. The Alliance's October 2026 provider manual lists the CMS claim form for NEMT and NMT providers and accepts electronic claims. Use the codes and modifiers in your plan agreement, and check each rider's plan eligibility for the date of the trip.

## Official resources

- [Medicaid.gov: Managed care](https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/managed-care)
- [eCFR: 42 CFR Part 438, Medicaid managed care](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/chapter-IV/subchapter-C/part-438)
- [CMS: Medicaid Transportation Coverage Guide (SMD 23-006)](https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/smd23006.pdf)
- [Texas HHS: Health plan transportation contact information](https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicaid-chip/medicaid-chip-members/nonemergency-medical-transportation-program/health-plan-transportation-contact-information)
- [Oregon Health Authority: Find the ride service for your county](https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ohp/members/pages/rides.aspx)
- [Central California Alliance for Health: Transportation Provider Application](https://thealliance.health/for-providers/resources/credentialing-applications-and-policies/transportation-provider-application/)
- [Arizona Complete Health: Credentialing and re-credentialing](https://www.azcompletehealth.com/providers/resources/provider-manual/pm_section_6.html)
- [HHS OIG: List of Excluded Individuals and Entities](https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/)