Signed by Governor Gregory Abbott

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with Senate amendments and pass a bill that authorizes Medicaid payments to ride-hailing companies for appointment pickup.

Highlights:

• Requires the Health and Human Services Commission to require each Medicaid managed care organization to arrange and provide non-emergency transportation services to a recipient by utilizing the most effective and cost-efficient method of delivery (Sec. 8).

• Prohibits emergency medical service personnel and emergency medical service vehicles from providing non-emergency transportation services under the medical transportation program (Sec. 4).

• Defines “non-emergency transportation program” as non-emergency medical transportation authorized under (Sec. 3):

• For a Medicaid recipient, the state Medicaid plan; and

• For a recipient under another program within the greater medical transportation program, that program.

• Defines “non-medical transportation services” as (Sec. 8):

• Curb-to-curb transportation to or from a medically necessary, non-emergency covered health care service in a standard passenger vehicle that is scheduled no more than 48 hours before the transportation occurs, that is provided to a recipient enrolled in a managed care plan offered by a Medicaid managed care organization, and that the organization determines meets the level of care that is medically appropriate for the recipient; and

• Any other transportation to or from a medically necessary, non-emergency covered health care service that the commission considers appropriate to be provided by a transportation vendor.

• Requires the commission, starting no later than September 1, 2020, to require each Medicaid managed care organization to arrange for the provision of non-medical transportation services to recipients (Sec. 8).

• Requires the commission, starting no later than January 1, 2020, to designate managed care service areas in which to require each Medicaid managed care organization to arrange for nonmedical transportation services to recipients (Sec. 8).

• Authorizes regional contracted brokers, managed transportation organizations, and Medicaid managed care organizations to subcontract with a transportation network company to provide services (Sec. 4, 7, & 8).

• Specifies that section 4 does not apply to the provision of non-emergency transportation services on or after September 1, 2020, to a Medicaid recipient enrolled in a managed care plan offered by a Medicaid managed care organization (Sec. 4).

Full Bill Text