Wellpoint Iowa Transportation: MTM Ride Lines, Rules for Riders 12 to 16, and How Companies Get the Trips

Wellpoint Iowa, Inc. is one of three Iowa Health Link plans. It was Amerigroup Iowa until January 1, 2024, when the plan took the Wellpoint name. MTM Health arranges every ride its members get. Iowa’s NEMT rule, the DOT passenger certificate, and MTM’s application steps are in the Iowa guide. This page covers what is Wellpoint’s own: its two MTM lines, who qualifies, its rules for young riders, its extra rides, and what its provider manual says a ride company must do to be paid.

Who books Wellpoint Iowa rides

Wellpoint members use their own MTM numbers, not MTM’s fee-for-service line, as of October 2026:

• Reservations. 844-544-1389, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central. The TTY line is 855-823-8587. The provider manual’s contact table lists weekday hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the same service.
• Where’s My Ride. 844-544-1390, for a ride already booked. The provider manual calls it Ride Assist.
• Who may call. The member handbook says callers should be 16 or older.
• What to have ready. The member ID, pickup and drop-off addresses with ZIP codes and phone numbers, the provider’s name and address, the date, time, and length of the visit, whether it is will-call, and any wheelchair, assistant, or regular transportation company.

MTM’s own Iowa page lists 866-572-7662, which serves fee-for-service members, so send Wellpoint members to the numbers above.

The Access2Care name is still in the paperwork

Iowa HHS told members in October 2025 that managed care rides moved from the Access2Care name to MTM Health on September 19, 2025, and that the network and booking numbers stayed the same. Wellpoint’s papers have not all caught up. Its provider Benefits Partners page still lists Access2Care for non-emergent transportation as of October 2026, and its minor consent form, coded 05/23, names Access2Care. When a clinic or family points to either, send them to MTM at 844-544-1389.

Notice, standards, and pharmacy stops

The member handbook of April 2026 sets these rules:

• Notice. Rides must be set up at least 48 hours ahead. When a clinic books for a patient, the provider manual asks for two business days, allows booking up to 30 days out, and says urgent appointments can be booked the same day. The state rule behind that is in the Iowa guide.
• Pickup standards. Wellpoint lists 15 minutes before or after the pickup time for scheduled visits, and 60 minutes before or after for unscheduled trips.
• Pharmacy stop. A member can ask the driver to stop at a pharmacy after a visit if it is within 10 miles of the return address. The driver waits if possible. If not, the member calls Where’s My Ride to book a pickup. See pharmacy stops.
• Nursing facilities. A facility is responsible for rides within 30 miles of it.

Who qualifies for Wellpoint Iowa rides

Wellpoint’s handbook has one benefits chart for three programs, and non-emergency transportation is checked for only one of them:

• Iowa Health Link. Covered, with limits. This is the plan’s main Medicaid program.
• Hawki. Not covered. Hawki is Iowa’s children’s health insurance program.
• Iowa Health and Wellness Plan. Not covered, except for members Iowa HHS finds medically exempt. The handbook says those members get Iowa Health Link benefits.

The provider manual of September 1, 2026 lists the same split. Iowa has proposed adding rides for every Wellness Plan member from January 1, 2027. As of October 2026 that is still a proposal. See Iowa’s expansion adults proposal. For the rides Iowa Total Care adds on top, see Iowa Total Care transportation.

Rules for riders 12 to 16

Wellpoint’s transportation page and handbook say members 11 and younger ride with a parent or guardian. Members 12 to 16 may not ride alone unless a consent and release of liability form is on file, or the member is pregnant or emancipated. Wellpoint says to complete the form before the first ride, and the handbook tells members to call MTM for a copy.

Three things to know on your end:

• The age band runs through 16. Iowa Total Care’s brochure sets its waiver for ages 12 to 15, so the same 16-year-old can ride alone on one plan and need the form on the other.
• The posted form is old. Wellpoint’s copy is coded 05/23, names Access2Care, and says to fax it to 877-645-7837. The provider manual lists that same number as MTM’s transportation provider fax. Ask MTM which form it wants on file.
• No form, no solo ride. Check with dispatch before a teen rides alone. See children in NEMT and escorts and caregivers.

Extra rides and travel help

Wellpoint’s April 2026 handbook lists two extras tied to transportation, on top of the medical rides:

• Community transportation. Iowa Health Link members 18 and older get up to 10 round trips a year for community visits. The handbook names self-help meetings, health education programs, fitness centers, job interviews, employment locations, and Medicaid renewal appointments. Members book with MTM at 844-544-1389.
• Transportation options. Iowa Health and Wellness Plan members 18 and older who finished their health risk assessment, and pregnant members, can pick one rideshare gift card, gas card, oil change gift card, or bus pass gift card per household each year. Wellpoint’s extras page lists the same choices plus car repairs under “extras for everyone”, so a member should confirm eligibility with Member Services.

The provider manual adds that MTM pays members back for meals, lodging, car rental, and a medically necessary escort’s travel during transportation and treatment. The state rule limits meals and lodging to trips of more than 50 miles one way. For family and friends who drive, see mileage reimbursement.

Waiver rides through MTM

Wellpoint’s provider manual says the elderly, intellectual disability, physical disability, and brain injury waivers include transportation when the member’s service plan authorizes it. These rides go to errands, essential shopping, work or day programs, and ways to reduce isolation. The manual’s contact table and one paragraph say these rides are billed to MTM Health, based on Wellpoint’s long-term services and supports contract and the member’s person-centered plan. Another paragraph lets a waiver provider’s own staff who drive a member on a nonmedical errand bill Wellpoint under their long-term services and supports contract, so ask which applies before you bill.

The manual also draws a line for waiver providers:

• Medical, dental, and behavioral health trips go through the state plan NEMT benefit. A waiver provider may not bill the waiver for them.
• To give those NEMT rides, a waiver provider must be enrolled and contracted with MTM at 888-644-3547.
• Staff who drive members can be paid per mile for NEMT. The provider must call MTM at least one hour before the trip and say it is for mileage.

Waiver rides to errands and day programs are scheduled on MTM’s waiver member line, 888-630-4822, which the manual also labels the facilities line. A waiver member’s medical trips use 844-544-1389. The waiver transportation guide explains how these rides differ from NEMT.

How to get Wellpoint Iowa trips

Wellpoint’s provider manual of September 1, 2026 says transportation companies that only perform NEMT must contract with MTM Health to bill MTM and be paid. So the way in is MTM, not Wellpoint.

1. Get your Iowa DOT passenger certificate. The Iowa guide covers the application and insurance.
2. Apply to MTM Health. Call the transportation provider line at 888-644-3547, or use MTM’s network application. MTM’s Iowa provider page says it sets rates company by company, pays nothing for no-shows, and wants general and auto liability naming MTM plus workers’ compensation. See the MTM Health guide.
3. Confirm your agreement covers Wellpoint. MTM’s Iowa provider page describes its fee-for-service network, so ask your representative in writing whether your contract covers the three plans.
4. Add waiver rides if you want them, under the rules above.

Who to call

For	Contact (October 2026)
Book or change a Wellpoint ride	MTM Health, 844-544-1389 (TTY 855-823-8587)
Check a booked ride	Where’s My Ride, 844-544-1390
Join MTM as a ride company	MTM transportation provider line, 888-644-3547
Waiver member rides to errands and day programs	MTM waiver member line, 888-630-4822
Wellpoint Member Services	833-731-2140 (TTY 711)
Wellpoint Provider Services	833-731-2143
Fee-for-service Medicaid riders	MTM Health, 866-572-7662

What to do first

1. Send clinics to 844-544-1389, even when a Wellpoint page still names Access2Care.
2. Ask MTM for its current minor consent form before a 12 to 16 year old rides alone.
3. Call 888-644-3547 if you are not yet in MTM’s Iowa network.
4. Log pharmacy stops within 10 miles of the return address, and let dispatch know about them.