You have Medicaid — use it
If you are an active New York State Medicaid member, you are entitled to free non-emergency medical transportation to covered appointments. This is a mandatory Medicaid benefit — it is not optional, not means-tested beyond your Medicaid enrollment, and not subject to a separate application. If your Medicaid card is active and your appointment qualifies, your ride is covered.
To use the benefit, call MAS (Medical Answering Services) at 1-844-666-6270 at least 72 hours before your appointment. MAS is the state-contracted broker that coordinates Medicaid transportation across New York. They verify your eligibility, confirm your appointment, and assign a credentialed provider to your trip. The provider — DachiPlus, in Nassau and Suffolk County — is paid by Medicaid directly. You pay nothing.
When you call MAS, explicitly request DachiPlus as your transportation provider. Under New York Medicaid rules, you have the right to request a specific provider. If we have availability for your appointment window, MAS assigns the trip to us. Call us at (516) 754-7777 if you want to confirm our availability before calling MAS.
The types of Medicaid coverage that qualify for the NEMT benefit include traditional Medicaid (fee-for-service), Medicaid Managed Care plans, Health and Recovery Plans (HARP), and many dual-eligible plans. If you are not sure whether your specific plan type qualifies, MAS can verify on the call.
You have Medicare Part A/B only — you likely pay privately
Original Medicare — meaning Medicare Part A (hospital coverage) and Part B (outpatient coverage) — does not cover non-emergency medical transportation to routine appointments. This surprises many patients who assume Medicare is comprehensive. It is not, for transportation purposes.
Medicare Part B does cover ambulance transportation in genuine emergencies, and there are limited circumstances where Medicare covers transportation for certain types of renal disease patients. But for the routine NEMT trips that the majority of patients need — getting to dialysis, physical therapy, a specialist appointment, or a post-surgery follow-up — Medicare Part A/B provides no transportation benefit.
If you have original Medicare only, you will need to pay privately or rely on another coverage source (workers' comp, no-fault auto, long-term care insurance, VA Community Care). DachiPlus offers transparent private pay pricing for Long Island trips starting at $35 for local Nassau and Suffolk routes. Call (516) 754-7777 for an exact quote.
You have Medicare Advantage — check your plan
Medicare Advantage plans (Part C) are private insurance plans that replace original Medicare and often include supplemental benefits that original Medicare does not cover. Transportation is one of those supplemental benefits — but only in certain plans.
Whether your Medicare Advantage plan includes a transportation benefit depends entirely on your specific plan and insurer. Some plans cover a set number of one-way trips to medical appointments per year (commonly 12, 24, or 48). Others cover only specific appointment types. Some plans have no transportation benefit at all.
The quickest way to find out is to call the member services number on the back of your plan card and ask: "Does my plan include a non-emergency transportation benefit for medical appointments?" Also check your plan's Annual Notice of Change or Summary of Benefits — transportation benefits are listed there if they exist.
DachiPlus works with several Medicare Advantage plans operating on Long Island. When you call us, tell us your plan name and member ID, and we will check whether we are in-network for your coverage and how billing works for your specific plan.
You have private insurance — check for a transportation rider
If you have private health insurance through an employer or individual marketplace, standard health insurance policies generally do not cover non-emergency transportation. However, there are several specific insurance types that do cover medical transportation:
- New York Workers' Compensation: If your appointments relate to a workplace injury, transportation is covered. DachiPlus bills the workers' comp carrier directly at no upfront cost to you.
- New York No-Fault Auto Insurance: If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident and have an open no-fault claim, transportation to covered medical treatment is a mandatory benefit under New York law. We bill the no-fault carrier directly.
- Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI): Many long-term care policies include transportation as a covered service. Review your policy's benefit schedule or call your insurer's claims department.
- VA Community Care: Veterans using the VA Community Care program for treatment at civilian facilities may have transportation covered through the VA's Beneficiary Travel benefit. Eligibility depends on income, disability rating, and distance criteria.
If you have any of these policy types and are not sure whether transportation is covered, call us at (516) 754-7777 and tell us your insurer and claim type. We have experience navigating these coverage types and can help you determine whether you are covered before your first trip.
You have no insurance — private pay rates and what to expect
Patients without insurance coverage pay privately for NEMT. Private pay with DachiPlus is straightforward: you receive an exact quote before booking, pay after the trip is complete, and can use credit card, debit card, HSA/FSA card, or cash. There are no hidden fees, no surge pricing, and no surprises.
Local Nassau and Suffolk County trips typically range from $35–$75 one way, depending on distance and vehicle type. If you need a round trip — drop off at the appointment and return after — both legs are quoted together. We provide a receipt for every trip, which is useful for medical expense records or HSA/FSA reimbursement.
One important note: if you have no insurance but receive ongoing treatment at a hospital, dialysis center, cancer center, or other major facility, it is worth asking the facility's social worker or financial counselor whether they have transportation assistance programs or know of local resources. Some nonprofit programs exist on Long Island for patients in specific situations. We are happy to advise on what we know of available resources when you call.
What if you're not sure? Call us — we help figure it out.
We understand that insurance situations are often confusing, and the right coverage path is not always obvious. Many patients are not sure whether their plan covers transportation, whether Medicaid applies to their situation, or whether a workers' comp claim would cover their trips.
When you call DachiPlus at (516) 754-7777, we will ask you a few quick questions about your coverage situation and help you identify the correct path. If you have Medicaid, we walk you through the MAS process and confirm our availability. If you have Medicare Advantage, we check our plan relationships. If you have workers' comp or no-fault, we confirm your carrier and set up direct billing. If you need to pay privately, we give you an exact quote on the spot.
There is no wrong reason to call. Getting the coverage question right before your first trip is far easier than sorting out billing problems afterward.
Ready to book?
Not sure which coverage path is right for you? Call us first.
We help sort out the coverage question before you book — Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, workers' comp, no-fault, or private pay. One call covers it all.