This article first appeared August 17, 2016 on the Kaiser Health News website By Zhai Yun Tan Edith Stowe, 83, waited patiently on a recent afternoon at the bus stop outside MedStar Washington Hospital Center in the District of Columbia. It's become routine for her, but that doesn't make it any easier. Stowe, who lives about five miles from the hospital, comes into the medical center twice every three months to get checkups for chronic kidney failure. She doesn't own a car and relies on buses. During rush hour, buses are more frequent, and she can keep the commute to about 30 minutes. But when she has to come in the middle of the day, it takes her at least an hour to get in and another hour to get home. "It's pretty good except for waiting during non-rush hours," she said. "When that happens I don't plan anything else for the day." For people without access to private transportation, getting to medical appointments can be a challenge, especially if they have chronic conditions that require frequent appointments. Some hospitals and medical providers think that the hot-new technology in town — ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft — can address this problem by making the trips easier and, in some cases, it is even covered by Medicaid and other insurance plans. Partnerships between ride-hailing companies and hospitals are emerging around the country. While the efforts are still small, some hospitals and medical transportation providers think the potential for growth is large.
Analysis undertaken in 2013 showed that up to 51% of American patients found lack of transportation to be a major barrier to healthcare access. This clearly signals a huge opportunity for the likes of Uber and Lyft, both of whom have recently signed multiple transportation deals with various American healthcare providers. Ride-hailing provides a cheap, reliable service to healthcare providers, ensuring patients actually turn up to their appointment, saving money on wasted time and worsening medical conditions. Furthermore, for many Medicaid patients, transportation for non-emergency visits are covered, although this does vary from state to state.