# AmeriHealth Caritas DC Transportation: The Plan's Ride Line, SmarTrip Cards, and Former Wellpoint Members

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/amerihealth-caritas-dc/ · Updated 2026-10-06

AmeriHealth Caritas DC books rides through its own transportation line, 1-800-315-3485: weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to book, and around the clock for ride status. Members call at least 48 hours ahead, not counting weekends or holidays. Members who choose Metro get a SmarTrip card in the mail. Since August 1, 2026, the line also serves the members DHCF moved from Wellpoint DC.

- AmeriHealth Caritas DC books every member ride on one line, 1-800-315-3485, which also answers ride status calls around the clock.
- Members who choose Metro get a SmarTrip card loaded for each appointment, mailed within three to five business days.
- Every HealthCheck visit for a child or young adult under 21 gets a free door-to-door ride.
- DHCF moved all Wellpoint DC members to AmeriHealth Caritas DC on August 1, 2026; Wellpoint DC had 49,354 members in January 2026.
- Members of AmeriHealth Caritas DC's Healthy DC Plan, offered since January 1, 2026, have no ride benefit, so check which ID card a rider holds.

## AmeriHealth Caritas DC rides at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Ride line | 1-800-315-3485: booking weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., ride status 24 hours a day (October 2026) |
| Booking notice | At least 48 hours, not counting Saturday, Sunday, or holidays. HealthCheck and urgent visits can be booked the day before. |
| Ride types | Metrobus and Metro on a SmarTrip card, taxi vouchers, vans, wheelchair vans, stretcher vans, and ambulances |
| Members | 98,281 in January 2026 (preliminary). Wellpoint DC, whose members DHCF moved to the plan on August 1, 2026, had 49,354 that month. |
| Wellpoint move | Transition period through October 31, 2026. Members may switch to MedStar Family Choice DC until January 31, 2027. |
| Children | Free door-to-door rides to every HealthCheck (EPSDT) visit |
| No ride benefit | Members of the company's Healthy DC Plan (since January 1, 2026) and of the Health Care Alliance (since October 1, 2025) |
| Joining the network | Credentialing, dcprovidernetwork@amerihealthcaritasdc.com or 877-759-6186. Provider Services, 202-408-2237 or 1-888-656-2383. |
| Enrollee Services | 202-408-4720 or 1-800-408-7511 (TTY 1-800-570-1190), 24 hours a day |

AmeriHealth Caritas DC is one of the two DC Healthy Families plans that the Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF) contracts with as of October 2026; MedStar Family Choice DC is the other. DHCF's February 2026 enrollment report counted 98,281 AmeriHealth Caritas DC members in January 2026, a preliminary figure. On August 1, 2026, DHCF moved every Wellpoint DC member to the plan as well; the same report counted 49,354 Wellpoint DC members in January. Members book every ride through the plan's transportation line, 1-800-315-3485. DC's rules for ride companies, from WMATC authority to DC Medicaid enrollment, are in the [Washington, DC guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/district-of-columbia/).

## How AmeriHealth Caritas DC members book rides

The plan's important numbers page splits the line's hours, as of October 2026:

- **Booking.** Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- **Ride status.** "Where's my ride?" calls, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on the same number.

For a routine appointment, the plan's transportation page asks members to call at least 48 hours ahead, not counting Saturday, Sunday, or holidays. The enrollee handbook puts it as two business days, and lets members call the day before for a HealthCheck visit or an urgent visit. The plan's flyer tells members to give their enrollee ID, name, and phone number, confirm the pickup address, and name the medical, dental, pharmacy, or other office they are going to, with its address and phone number.

### Which trips the plan covers

The transportation page lists routine provider appointments, urgent follow-up visits, hospital discharges, and urgent care. The handbook adds rides to and from most services that DHCF or another District agency covers outside the plan. That puts trips to carved-out services on the same line as plan trips.

The plan picks the ride type from the member's medical needs. Its web page names Metrobus, vans, wheelchair vans, and stretcher vans, and its handbook adds Metro, taxi vouchers, and ambulances. DHCF's managed care contract lists bus, subway, or taxi vouchers, wheelchair vans, and ambulances as acceptable forms of non-emergency transportation. For hospital trips, see [hospital discharge transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/hospital-discharge-transportation/).

## SmarTrip cards for members who ride Metro

A member who chooses public transportation does not get a van. The plan mails a SmarTrip card instead, and its transportation page sets the rules as of October 2026:

1. **Book first.** The member books the trip at 1-800-315-3485, and the card is issued after the booking.
2. **Call early.** Members should call at least three to five business days before the appointment, because the card arrives by mail within three to five business days of the call.
3. **The plan loads it.** The card carries money for each eligible appointment. The member cannot add money, and the card cannot be registered.
4. **Keep it.** The card is reusable, so later Metro trips go on the same card. A lost or stolen card is replaced through the same number.

For a ride company, a member who chooses Metro rides on the card, not in your van. The van work is the rest: wheelchair and stretcher riders, HealthCheck door-to-door rides, and members whose medical needs rule out the bus or train.

## Door-to-door rides for HealthCheck visits

HealthCheck is DC's name for EPSDT, the Medicaid checkup and treatment benefit for children and young adults under 21. The plan's enrollee handbook promises free door-to-door transportation for all HealthCheck appointments, booked at 1-800-315-3485, and the day-before booking rule applies to these visits.

The public version of DHCF's managed care contract backs this up. Section C.5.28.7.3 requires each plan to give scheduling and transportation help so children get assessments and start treatment on time. That includes health care rides for children in school programs, unless the school provides the transportation, and for children under 21 in foster care or other placements outside the home. See [EPSDT transportation](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/epsdt/) and [transporting children in NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/children-in-nemt/).

## Former Wellpoint DC members moved here on August 1, 2026

DHCF's Transmittal 26-19, dated July 2, 2026, moved every Wellpoint DC member to AmeriHealth Caritas DC on August 1, 2026. Wellpoint DC was formerly Amerigroup DC. The transmittal sets these dates:

- **Through July 31, 2026, 11:59 p.m.** Wellpoint pays for covered services given to its members. For help with those claims after the contract ended, it lists mpswebinquiries@wellpoint.com and 800-454-3730.
- **August 1 to October 31, 2026.** The transition period. Active referrals and prior authorizations issued before August 1 stay valid through October 31, whether or not the provider is in AmeriHealth's network, and providers are told not to cancel current patients' appointments.
- **Through January 31, 2027.** Members unhappy with the assignment may switch to MedStar Family Choice DC.

For your company, a former Wellpoint rider now books at 1-800-315-3485. Riders can still move to MedStar until January 31, 2027, so the transmittal's advice to verify eligibility and the current plan before every service matters for trips too. MedStar members book through their own plan; see [MedStar Family Choice DC transportation](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/medstar-family-choice-dc/).

## Members with no AmeriHealth Caritas DC ride benefit

These riders get no rides from AmeriHealth Caritas DC:

- **Healthy DC Plan members.** Since January 1, 2026, AmeriHealth Caritas DC also offers a Healthy DC Plan for residents who lost Medicaid eligibility. Its January 13, 2026 notice to providers says non-emergency medical transportation is not a covered benefit. These members have different ID numbers, and the DHCF eligibility portal cannot check them, so ask which card a rider holds.
- **Health Care Alliance members.** On October 1, 2025, the Alliance left managed care, DHCF began acting as its plan, and non-emergency rides were dropped. See [the Alliance change](https://nemtguide.com/news/dc-alliance-nemt-ends/).

Fee-for-service Medicaid members ride through DHCF's broker, which is MTM Health through December 31, 2026; see [the MTM extension](https://nemtguide.com/news/dc-mtm-contract-extension/).

## How a ride company gets AmeriHealth Caritas DC trips

1. **Get WMATC authority and enroll with DC Medicaid.** A paid trip inside the WMATC Metropolitan District needs a certificate of authority. The [Washington, DC guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/district-of-columbia/) covers both steps.
2. **Contact the plan's credentialing team.** DHCF's Transmittal 26-19 lists AmeriHealth Caritas DC Credentialing at dcprovidernetwork@amerihealthcaritasdc.com and 877-759-6186 for providers that want to join its network.
3. **Ask who contracts the ride companies.** Ask the credentialing team or Provider Services (202-408-2237 or 1-888-656-2383) which company contracts the transportation providers behind 1-800-315-3485, and whether it needs wheelchair or stretcher capacity.
4. **Get the terms in writing.** Confirm which ride types your agreement covers, where you send claims, and how HealthCheck and urgent day-before trips reach you.
5. **Cover the other DC plans.** HSCSN members ride through Verida, so that work needs its own agreement; see [Verida in Washington, DC](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/verida/district-of-columbia/).

## Who to call

| For | Contact (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Book a ride or check on one | 1-800-315-3485 |
| Enrollee Services | 202-408-4720 or 1-800-408-7511 (TTY 1-800-570-1190) |
| Provider Services | 202-408-2237 or 1-888-656-2383 |
| Joining the network | dcprovidernetwork@amerihealthcaritasdc.com or 877-759-6186 |
| Wellpoint claims before August 1, 2026 | mpswebinquiries@wellpoint.com or 800-454-3730 |
| Choosing a different plan | DC Healthy Families, 202-639-4030 or 1-800-620-7802 |

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the AmeriHealth Caritas DC transportation phone number?

1-800-315-3485. As of October 2026, members book rides there Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and check on a ride (Where's My Ride) 24 hours a day. The same number replaces a lost or stolen SmarTrip card. For other questions, Enrollee Services is 202-408-4720 or 1-800-408-7511 (TTY 1-800-570-1190), 24 hours a day.

### How far ahead do AmeriHealth Caritas DC members need to book a ride?

At least 48 hours before a routine appointment, not counting Saturday, Sunday, or holidays, as of October 2026. The enrollee handbook lets members call the day before for a HealthCheck visit or an urgent visit. A member who wants to ride Metro should call three to five business days ahead, so the SmarTrip card arrives in time.

### How does the AmeriHealth Caritas DC SmarTrip card work?

A member who chooses public transportation gets a SmarTrip card after booking the trip at 1-800-315-3485. The card arrives by mail within three to five business days. The plan loads money on it for each eligible appointment. The member cannot add money, the card cannot be registered, and it is reused for later trips.

### What happened to Wellpoint DC members' rides?

DHCF moved every Wellpoint DC member to AmeriHealth Caritas DC on August 1, 2026, under Transmittal 26-19. They now book rides at 1-800-315-3485. Wellpoint pays for covered services through July 31, 2026. Referrals and prior authorizations issued before August 1 stay valid through October 31, 2026, and members may switch to MedStar Family Choice DC until January 31, 2027.

### Does the AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthy DC Plan cover rides to appointments?

No. AmeriHealth Caritas DC began offering a Healthy DC Plan on January 1, 2026 for residents who lost Medicaid eligibility, and its January 13, 2026 notice to providers says non-emergency medical transportation is not a covered benefit. Healthy DC Plan members carry ID numbers that differ from their old Medicaid ones, and the DHCF eligibility portal cannot check them.

### How does a transportation company join AmeriHealth Caritas DC?

Get WMATC authority and enroll with DC Medicaid first. Then contact the plan's credentialing team, which DHCF's Transmittal 26-19 lists at dcprovidernetwork@amerihealthcaritasdc.com and 877-759-6186, or Provider Services at 202-408-2237 or 1-888-656-2383. Ask who contracts the transportation companies behind 1-800-315-3485 and which ride types it needs.

## Official resources

- [AmeriHealth Caritas DC: Transportation benefits](https://www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com/member/transportation)
- [AmeriHealth Caritas DC: Important numbers](https://www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com/member/medicaid/getting-started/important-numbers)
- [AmeriHealth Caritas DC: Enrollee handbook](https://www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com/content/dam/amerihealth-caritas/acdc/pdf/member/medicaid-handbook.pdf.coredownload.inline.pdf)
- [DHCF: Transmittal 26-19, Managed Care Plan Transition](https://dhcf.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dhcf/page_content/attachments/Transmittal%2026-19%20-%20Managed%20Care%20Plan%20Transition.pdf)
- [DHCF: Medicaid Managed Care Plans](https://dhcf.dc.gov/page/medicaid-managed-care-plans-mcps)