When Lyft driver Tramaine Carr transports elderly and sick patients to Atlanta hospitals, he feels like he’s both a friend and a social worker.
“When it comes to an hour or an hour and a half of mostly highway driving, people tend to talk about what they’re going through,” she said.
Drivers like Carr play an important role in the medical transportation system in Washington, D.C., as well as Georgia. mississippi, arizonaand elsewhere. Some patients rely on medical rides or non-emergency transportation companies to get to appointments, but San Francisco-based ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft also use emergency room and non-emergency transportation companies. kidney dialysis, cancer treatment, physical therapy, and other medical visits.
But Georgia’s ride-hailing drivers don’t just serve patients in Atlanta and its sprawling suburbs. When rural Georgians are too sick to drive themselves, Uber or Lyft is often one of the only ways to get medical care in the state capital.
Rural Georgia hospital closes That means people battling cancer and other serious illnesses now have to commute more than two hours to treatment facilities in Atlanta, said Brian Miller, the association’s director of psychosocial support services. said. Atlanta Cancer Care Foundationis an offshoot of medical practice aimed at reducing the financial burden of cancer patients and their families.
From April 2022 to April 2024, Lyft drivers will drive more than 80 miles each way starting or ending at Atlanta-area medical centers, including Emory University Winship Cancer Institute and Emory University Hospital Midtown, according to He has completed thousands of rides. lift.
According to the company, 75% of these trips were less than 160 miles, while 21% were between 100 and 200 miles and 4% were more than 200 miles, including those who live hours away from metro Atlanta. Even Georgians living in Georgia have been shown to be using the ride-hailing platform. to receive medical care there.
Zachary Clark, UberHealth’s global head, declined to provide comparable ridership data. Uber Health is a division of Uber that organizes medical transportation for some Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries, healthcare workers, prescription drug deliveries, and people seeking reimbursement for healthcare-related Uber rides. According to Uber’s website.
Lyft also has a healthcare division, offering programs like Lyft Assisted and Lyft Concierge to coordinate rides for patients.
Nationally, some insurance companies and cancer treatment centers, as well as Medicare Advantage and state Medicaid plans, are offering to pay for such ride services, often with the goal of reducing missed appointments. It is said that there is. Krisda Chaiyachatiadjunct assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
In 2024, 36% of individual Medicare Advantage plans and 88% of special needs plans will provide transportation services. Jeannie Fuglsten Biniekassociate director of Medicare policy at KFF, a health policy research, polling and news organization that includes KFF Health News. Special needs plans provide additional benefits to Medicare beneficiaries who have a serious chronic illness or other specific medical needs, or who also receive Medicaid.
And Medicaid, the federal-state safety-net insurance plan for people with low incomes or disabilities, pays up to a maximum. 4 million beneficiaries According to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services, non-emergency medical transportation services will be required each year from 2018 to 2021. Patients living in rural areas had the highest rates for ride-hailing services and other non-emergency transportation, the report said.
The total estimated federal and state investment in non-emergency medical transportation in 2019 was approximately $5 billion. According to research By Texas A&M University Transportation Research Institute.
Social workers say many sick patients are still left without a ride, even when insurance covers the trip or charities offer ride credits. Nationwide, in 2022, 21% of adults without access to a car or public transportation would not be able to access the health care they need. According to research By the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. People who didn’t have access to a car but had access to public transportation were less likely to skip needed care.
Data analysis company Geotab Rank Atlanta tied. It ranks second worst in the nation when it comes to public transportation accessibility.
“Seeing a doctor can be a barrier to treatment,” said Rochelle Schube, director of a cancer support group in Atlanta. “If a patient lives far away and you give them $250 on an Uber card, they spend it quickly.”
The lack of health care access in these areas is further exacerbated by the fact that Uber and Lyft are difficult to obtain in rural America. “When you move to rural areas where the needs are high, you see fewer services,” Chaiyachati says.
Finding drivers who are capable and willing to provide medical transportation can be difficult. Startup company based in Atlanta MedTrans Go In Georgia and 16 other states, we connect patients and providers with carefully selected drivers, many of whom offer wheelchair and stretcher rides. Dana Weeks, the company’s co-founder and CEO, said many of the company’s drivers have medical training and are able to shuttle patients to and from medical facilities and homes, providing care for vulnerable patients. He is able to handle complex situations.
The company’s app can also provide direct Uber or Lyft rides for patients who don’t need professional assistance, she said.
Uber and Lyft rides save patients and insurance companies money at a fraction of the cost of a regular ambulance ride, he said. david sluskyprofessor of economics at the University of Kansas. I studied The impact of ride-hailing services on healthcare.
But instead of all that, he argued: Timothy CrimminsFor him, a professor emeritus of history at Georgia State University and former director of the school’s Center for Neighborhood Studies, the best solution might be: Georgia to expand MedicaidThis will allow more rural hospitals to stay open and give Georgians access to health care closer to home.
The Georgia Legislature’s decision not to accept federally funded Medicaid expansion leaves more than 1.4 million Georgians without health insurance. According to KFF And local hospitals suffer when patients are unable to access and pay for medical facilities. In Georgia, 10 local hospitals have closed or ceased inpatient care operations since 2010, according to information. 2024 report A further 18 are at risk of closure, according to medical consultant Chartis.
Until more patients have insurance, Crimmins said the state should subsidize Uber and Lyft trips for less affluent Georgians who need help getting health care in Atlanta. . “You might be talking about $100 to $150 round trip,” he said. “Then you can get a subsidy.”
Still, picking up and transporting patients isn’t for every ride-hailing driver. Damien Durand said his Chevrolet Equinox SUV is large enough to carry a medical passenger who requires a wheelchair, but he is not paid extra to transport passengers with medical needs. . He said some of the recent passengers in Atlanta are Medicaid recipients with mental health conditions or disabilities.
“It can be stressful,” he says. “I feel like Uber and Lyft are trying to catch me off guard. I try to avoid or cancel rides if I know I’m going to the hospital.”
Although Durand’s experiences with medical transport have been mostly negative, Carr said she loves her job and appreciates being able to help older Georgians, who she often tips. . For her, a ride-hailing job is still a good option, even if it involves medical calls.
“It’s not stress for me,” she said. “I’ve worked in customer service for 20 years. Relationships are important to me. I tried working from home, but I really didn’t like it. I like this job because it allows me to connect with people. I like it.”
