# Wellcare Transportation Providers: Which Company Books Wellcare Medicare Rides in Your State

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/wellcare-medicare-advantage/ · Updated 2026-09-30

A Wellcare transportation provider drives for the ride vendor that Wellcare, Centene's Medicare brand, uses in its state. Wellcare's January 2026 provider guides name MTM in states such as Georgia and Kentucky, ModivCare in Texas and Pennsylvania, Alivi in Florida, and SafeRide in Arkansas and Kansas. Join the vendor for your state to get Wellcare trips.

- Wellcare's ride vendor changes by state, and each state's January 2026 provider guide names it with a phone number.
- Of the 17 states whose January 2026 guide names a vendor, MTM books Wellcare rides in 9, ModivCare in 5, SafeRide in 2, and Alivi in Florida.
- All 136 Wellcare ride plans for 2026 require authorization, so run only trips your vendor sends.
- Wellcare tells members a will-call return can take up to 3 hours, while Alivi gives Florida providers 60 minutes.
- A trip past the mile cap or the yearly limit needs Wellcare's transportation authorization form, which names your company and its NPI or tax ID.

## Wellcare Medicare Advantage rides at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Ride vendors | Set state by state in Wellcare's January 2026 Medicare quick reference guides: MTM, ModivCare, Alivi, or SafeRide |
| 2026 plans with rides | 136 of the 303 Wellcare plans sold to individuals (45 percent), including 85 of its 111 dual eligible special needs plans |
| Trip limits | 12 to 60 one-way trips a year, median 24. Most common: 24 (54 plans) and 12 (46). No plan is unlimited. |
| Approval | All 136 ride plans mark the benefit as needing authorization in their 2026 filings with CMS |
| Booking notice | At least 3 days and up to 30 days ahead on Wellcare's ride FAQ (updated November 10, 2025). Alivi asks for 72 hours in Florida. |
| Will-call returns | Up to a 3-hour wait on Wellcare's FAQ. In Florida, Alivi gives the transportation provider 60 minutes from the member's call. |
| No-shows | A no-show may be deducted from the member's total rides |
| Extra trips | Wellcare's 2026 Transportation Authorization Request Form is how a provider asks for a trip over the mile limit or for more trips once the rides run out |
| Where the plans are | 27 states. Texas has 21 of the 136 ride plans, Florida 17, Georgia 9, and Louisiana 8. |
| Vehicles filed with CMS | Taxi, rideshare, and van in all 136 ride plans |

Wellcare is Centene's Medicare brand. For 2026 its plans are sold to individuals in 32 states, and plans in 27 of them include rides. It does not keep one ride company for all of them. Its state guides for doctors and other providers each list a transportation vendor with its own phone number, and that vendor is the company you contract with. The first step is finding the vendor in your state.

## Which company books Wellcare rides in each state

For many of its states, Wellcare publishes a short Medicare quick reference guide for providers, dated January 2026, with a Transportation box that names the vendor. The last column counts that state's 2026 Wellcare plans with a ride benefit in CMS's plan benefit file.

| State | Ride vendor | Line on the January 2026 guide | Wellcare ride plans, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | [ModivCare](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/modivcare/) | 1-866-393-2166 | 21 |
| Florida | [Alivi](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/alivi/) | 1-855-519-6684 | 17 |
| Georgia | [MTM](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/) | 1-888-889-0738 | 9 |
| Louisiana | MTM | 1-888-444-1472 | 8 |
| Arkansas | [SafeRide](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/saferide-health/) | 1-888-889-0351 | 7 |
| Mississippi | MTM | 1-888-889-0551 | 6 |
| Kentucky | MTM | 1-855-824-5702 | 5 |
| Michigan | ModivCare | 1-877-718-4201 | 5 |
| North Carolina | MTM | 1-877-598-7636 | 5 |
| Missouri | ModivCare | 1-877-682-9028 | 4 |
| South Carolina | ModivCare | 1-877-718-4201 | 4 |
| Iowa | MTM | 1-888-889-0470 | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | ModivCare | 1-877-718-4201 | 3 |
| Tennessee | MTM | 1-888-889-0395 | 3 |
| Washington | MTM | 1-855-824-5702 | 3 |
| Illinois | MTM | 1-888-777-9481 | 2 |
| Kansas | SafeRide | 1-833-236-9676 | 2 |

Those 17 states hold 107 of Wellcare's 136 ride plans. By vendor, MTM's states hold 44 of the plans, ModivCare's 37, Alivi's 17, and SafeRide's 9. The other 29 are in Arizona, California, Delaware, Indiana, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Wisconsin. For those, ask Wellcare Provider Services which vendor books the plans in your counties. Most state guides list the Provider Services line as 1-855-538-0454.

SafeRide also keeps a general Wellcare Health Plan member page, with the line (833) 509-0238.

### Michigan and Texas have more than one line

In Michigan, SafeRide says it has supported Meridian Medicaid and Wellcare by Meridian members there since May 1, 2024, and its page names Wellcare Meridian Dual Align (HMO D-SNP). That plan also covers Michigan Medicaid benefits and files no extra Medicare ride benefit with CMS for 2026. Wellcare's January 2026 Michigan guide lists ModivCare for the Wellcare plans, so ask both vendors which plans they book in your counties. The [SafeRide in Michigan page](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/saferide-health/michigan/) covers its Medicaid work there.

In Texas, three January 2026 guides all name ModivCare. Wellcare's Texas guide and Superior HealthPlan's guide for its Wellcare by Allwell plans list 1-866-393-2166. The guide for Wellcare By Superior HealthPlan (Dual Align), approved in March 2026, lists 1-877-718-4201. Superior's Texas Medicaid rides run through SafeRide instead, so [Superior HealthPlan](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/superior-healthplan-texas/) Medicaid riders and its Wellcare Medicare riders reach companies through different vendors.

In Florida, Alivi also arranges rides for Sunshine Health's Medicaid members. See [Sunshine Health transportation](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/sunshine-health-florida/).

## What Wellcare plans cover in 2026

CMS's plan benefit package file for 2026, dated October 1, 2025, counts 303 Wellcare plan options sold to individuals, with employer plans left out. Almost half include rides:

| Wellcare plan type | Plans | With a ride benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Dual eligible special needs plans (D-SNPs) | 111 | 85 |
| Chronic condition special needs plans | 5 | 4 |
| Plans that are not special needs plans | 187 | 47 |
| **All Wellcare plans sold to individuals** | **303** | **136** |

Every ride plan lists taxi, rideshare, and van, and every one marks the benefit as needing authorization. None has unlimited trips. The D-SNPs allow the most: 30 of them give 24 one-way trips a year, 20 give 12, 16 give 36, 15 give 48, and 4 give 54 or 60. Most of the 47 regular plans allow 12 or 24.

Texas leads with 21 ride plans, 13 of them D-SNPs with 48 trips a year. All 17 Florida ride plans are offered by Sunshine State Health Plan: six D-SNPs with 36 trips, three with 12, and eight other plans with 24 or 12.

### One plan's full rules: Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync

The 2026 evidence of coverage for Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP) H5294-021 shows how much detail sits behind one CMS line. The plan serves Cameron, Duval, Jim Hogg, Maverick, McMullen, Starr, Webb, Willacy, and Zapata counties in Texas. It covers:

- **48 one-way trips a year**, $0 each, to health care places such as doctors, specialists, pharmacies, and dental or vision providers inside the service area.
- **100 miles one way**, at most, per trip.
- **Booking 3 days to 1 month ahead** by the transportation number on the member ID card or the mobile app. Same-day rides depend on availability.
- **Taxi, passenger car, wheelchair van, or rideshare**, with prior authorization possibly required.
- **Shared rides.** Rides may carry several members at once and stop at places other than the member's destination. See [multiloading](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-multiloading/) for how to plan those routes.

## What a Wellcare trip asks of your driver

Wellcare's transportation FAQ, last updated November 10, 2025, tells members what to expect from the company that picks them up. It is what riders will expect from your drivers and dispatchers:

| Rule | What Wellcare tells members |
|---|---|
| Booking | At least 3 days before the ride and up to 30 days ahead. A Friday ride must be booked by Tuesday. |
| Phone hours | Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM for most plans. Only urgent rides can be booked outside those hours. |
| Urgent rides | Same-day rides for a sudden illness or injury need no advance notice |
| Pickup | The member must be outside and ready at the estimated pickup time. Drivers may wait 5 to 10 minutes. |
| Rideshare | Rideshare drivers wait up to 5 minutes and cannot help the member in or out of the car. A companion may ride along. |
| Will-call returns | A member who waits to call for the ride home may wait up to 3 hours |
| No-shows | A trip the member misses may be deducted from the member's total rides |
| Special needs | On the first call, the vendor asks whether the member needs help getting in or out, uses a walker, cane, or wheelchair, or needs a wheelchair-accessible van |

Florida runs tighter. Alivi's Wellcare page, updated August 15, 2024, asks members to book 72 hours (3 business days) ahead, up to 30 days out. For a [will-call trip](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/will-call-trip/), the member calls Alivi's Ride Assist option, and the transportation provider has up to 60 minutes from that call to pick up. Alivi books Wellcare members curb to curb, door to door, by wheelchair, or by stretcher. See [managing will-call trips](https://nemtguide.com/guides/managing-will-call-trips/) for how to staff a 60-minute return.

North Carolina's January 2026 guide says members there call two days ahead for routine trips and may call the same day for urgent care.

## When a trip runs long or the rides run out

Wellcare's 2026 Transportation Authorization Request Form is how a provider asks for trips a plan's limits do not cover. It asks whether the trip is over the allowed miles, and whether the member has used up the benefit and needs more trips, with a reason for each. A requesting provider sends it by fax, with current physician orders, notes, and recent diagnostics attached.

The form names your company too. It has a Transportation Company Name section with your Wellcare ID and NPI or tax ID, and it lists these codes:

| Code | Service on the form |
|---|---|
| A0100 | Taxi |
| A0110 | Bus, intra or interstate carrier |
| A0120 | Mini-bus, mountain area transports, or other transportation systems |
| A0130 | Wheelchair van |
| A0428 and A0425 | Basic life support ambulance and ground mileage |

Medicare fax lines on the form include 1-877-892-8216 for Florida Medicare only, 1-877-892-8213 for Georgia Medicare only, 1-877-277-1820 for Florida and Georgia dual plans, 1-877-894-2034 for Texas, 1-877-899-2044 for Illinois, and 1-888-361-5684 for Kentucky and all other states. Because the form requires the transportation company's NPI or tax ID, a doctor's office asking for extra trips for a rider you drive may ask you for yours. See [A0130](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/a0130/) for how wheelchair van trips bill.

## How to become a Wellcare transportation provider

1. **Find your state's vendor** in the table above, or on the Transportation box of your state's Wellcare guide.
2. **Apply to MTM** on its service providers page. MTM answers quickly when it needs providers in your area and keeps your file when it does not.
3. **Apply to ModivCare** through its transportation provider page, for Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas.
4. **Ask Alivi for a callback** for Florida. Its form asks for your state and counties, NPI, driver and vehicle counts, levels of service, and dispatch platform, and Alivi replies within 2 business days.
5. **Apply to SafeRide** for Arkansas and Kansas. Its form needs a real NPI, and an unfinished application restarts after 30 days.
6. **Line up Medicaid work too.** Most Wellcare ride plans are D-SNPs, whose members also get Medicaid rides through their state's own program, sometimes from a different broker. Your state guide, such as [Texas](https://nemtguide.com/states/texas/) or [Florida](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/), says who runs those.
7. **Set up the Medicare paperwork.** Wellcare trips make your company a downstream entity of a Medicare plan. See [Medicare Advantage transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/medicare-advantage-transportation/) for exclusion checks and record keeping.

Vendors set their Wellcare rates in each provider agreement. Ask for the rate sheet by vehicle type before you sign.

## Who to call

| For | Contact |
|---|---|
| Wellcare Provider Services (Medicare), on most state guides | 1-855-538-0454 (TTY 711) |
| Wellcare D-SNP Provider Services, Florida | 1-833-857-5715 (TTY 711) |
| Wellcare Community Connections Hotline | 1-866-775-2192, 8 AM to 8 PM Eastern, Monday to Friday |
| Alivi reservations for Wellcare, Florida | (855) 519-6684, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern |
| Your state's ride vendor | The line in the table above |

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I become a Wellcare transportation provider?

Apply to the ride vendor Wellcare uses in your state, not to Wellcare. Its January 2026 Medicare guides for providers name MTM in Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington, ModivCare in Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas, SafeRide in Arkansas and Kansas, and Alivi in Florida. Apply on that vendor's provider page and ask whether it needs Wellcare capacity in your counties.

### Who is Wellcare's transportation provider?

It depends on the state. Wellcare's January 2026 Medicare quick reference guides list one transportation vendor per state, such as MTM at 1-888-889-0738 in Georgia, ModivCare at 1-866-393-2166 in Texas, Alivi at 1-855-519-6684 in Florida, and SafeRide at 1-888-889-0351 in Arkansas. Members book on the transportation number on the back of their member ID card.

### Does Wellcare use ModivCare or SafeRide in Texas?

ModivCare, for Medicare. Wellcare's Texas guide and Superior HealthPlan's Wellcare by Allwell guide, both for January 2026, list ModivCare at 1-866-393-2166, and the Wellcare By Superior HealthPlan Dual Align guide lists ModivCare at 1-877-718-4201. SafeRide books Superior HealthPlan's Texas Medicaid rides, which is a separate contract.

### How many rides does Wellcare Medicare Advantage cover?

It depends on the plan. Of the 303 Wellcare plans sold to individuals for 2026, 136 include rides, with yearly limits from 12 to 60 one-way trips and 24 the most common. Each trip also has a mile cap, such as 100 miles one way in Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync H5294-021 in South Texas. A round trip counts as two rides.

### How far ahead do Wellcare members have to schedule a ride?

At least 3 days before the ride and no more than 30 days ahead, under Wellcare's transportation FAQ. A Friday ride has to be booked by Tuesday. Urgent same-day rides for a sudden illness or injury need no notice. Florida members book with Alivi 72 hours (3 business days) ahead, and Wellcare's North Carolina guide says members there call two days ahead for routine trips.

### What happens when a Wellcare member runs out of rides?

The member calls Wellcare Member Services, which looks for other transportation options. The member's provider can also ask for more trips on Wellcare's 2026 Transportation Authorization Request Form, which asks whether the member has used up the benefit and needs additional trips. Wellcare's Community Connections Hotline, 1-866-775-2192, points members to local transportation too.

## Official resources

- [Wellcare: Transportation benefit FAQ for members](https://www.wellcare.com/en/resources/wellcare-benefits/transportation-benefit)
- [Wellcare: 2026 Transportation Authorization Request Form](https://www.buckeyehealthplan.com/content/dam/centene/Buckeye/WebsitePDFs/Forms/medicare/NA_CAR_P_CS_2026%20Transportation%20Auth%20Request%20Form_5715969_v1.pdf)
- [MTM Health: Apply to join the network](https://www.mtm-inc.net/service-providers/)
- [Modivcare: Transportation provider page](https://www.modivcare.com/who-we-serve/transportation-provider-driver/)
- [Alivi: Transportation provider callback form](https://alivi.com/become-a-transportation-provider/)
- [SafeRide Health: Join the NEMT network](https://www.saferidehealth.com/what-to-expect-nemt-provider)