Bis-Man Transit Stops Taking Medicaid for Medical Rides on Nov. 15, 2026

Bis-Man Transit, the public transit system for Bismarck, Mandan, and Lincoln, has posted a notice that from November 15, 2026, it no longer accepts Medicaid as a payment source for medical trips. Its paratransit buses keep running, and riders can still book medical trips, but they pay the fare unless another approved funding source is arranged. If you are enrolled with ND Medicaid and drive in the Bismarck area, you can offer to take the Medicaid trips Bis-Man is giving up.

What changes on November 15

• Bis-Man stops taking Medicaid. Medicaid riders are told to ask their Medicaid care coordinator or representative about other ways to get to appointments.
• The fare applies. A one-way paratransit trip costs $3.00. Paratransit serves adults 70 and older and people with a certified disability, inside Bismarck, Mandan, and Lincoln or within 3/4 mile of a city bus route.
• Questions go to Bis-Man at 701-258-6817.

The notice gives no reason. In a memo for its October 22, 2026 board meeting, Bis-Man’s executive director wrote that because of new Medicaid rules, staff had not been able to request payment for any rider charged to Medicaid since August 31, 2026, and were working with the state to recertify Bis-Man. The minutes of its October 19 finance committee meeting, in the same packet, count 68 Medicaid riders and 375 trips in August, and 66 riders and 350 trips so far in September. The memo adds that the transit systems in Fargo, Grand Forks, and Minot have opted out of billing Medicaid because of the time billing takes.

How these riders get Medicaid rides

North Dakota has no Medicaid ride broker. For traditional Medicaid, a human service zone or tribal office approves each ride on form SFN 1507 and picks the most economical way that meets the member’s medical needs. You need a copy of the approved form before the ride, and you bill ND Medicaid directly. Hospitals can also arrange discharge rides with an enrolled company and give you form SFN 249 in place of the SFN 1507. The North Dakota state guide explains the full process.

Two zone offices cover Bis-Man’s service area:

• Burleigh County Human Service Zone (Bismarck and Lincoln): 701-222-6670.
• Three Rivers Human Service Zone, Morton County office (Mandan): 701-667-3395.

On the fee schedule dated October 1, 2026, ND Medicaid pays $18.05 for a wheelchair van trip (A0130) plus $2.57 per loaded mile (S0209), $18.05 for a minibus trip (A0120), and $27.06 for a taxi trip (A0100). For minibus, wheelchair van, and stretcher van trips, you bill for one member even when several ride together.

Medicaid Expansion members book rides through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota at 1-833-777-5779. To get those trips, you contract with BCBSND after you enroll with ND Medicaid, and BCBSND pays the rates in that contract.

Only enrolled companies can take them

ND Medicaid stopped enrolling new NEMT agencies statewide on June 11, 2026, under a temporary enrollment moratorium. Companies already enrolled are not affected. The moratorium lasts six months and can be extended in six-month periods. Six months from June 11 is December 11, 2026, but the notice names no end date. As of November 1, 2026, ND Medicaid has announced no extension or end.

Since summer 2026, ND Medicaid has required every NEMT driver to get an NPI, enroll in Medicaid, and be linked to their agency. You link a driver on form SFN 1330, Request to Add an Affiliation, and a group cannot bill until at least one provider is linked. See Medicaid revalidation and how to get an NPI.

What to do now

1. Call both zone offices. Tell them which service levels, hours, and towns you cover, and that you can take Bis-Man’s Medicaid riders.
2. Tell the facilities. Let dialysis centers, clinics, and hospital discharge planners in Bismarck and Mandan know you can take these riders. Hospitals pick the company for discharge rides. See dialysis transportation and facility contracts.
3. Check every driver’s NPI, enrollment, and link before you add trips. Send SFN 1330 for any enrolled driver who is not linked yet.
4. Get each SFN 1507 before the ride, or the hospital’s SFN 249 for a discharge. Keep it on file, and fill out a trip ticket (SFN 296) for each trip.
5. If you are not enrolled, watch the ND Medicaid Provider Updates page in December to see whether the moratorium is extended or ends.