New York – Each morning, a cab stopped in Sparrowbush, in the far western reaches of Orange County, to collect a 29-year-old for a daily appointment. From there, the taxi traveled 50 miles across the county to The Center for Recovery, a drug rehabilitation clinic in Newburgh.
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Taxpayers picked up the $185 round-trip fare that day, and every other day last September. The total bill for those 30 cab rides: almost $5,500.
As state officials and lawmakers debate ways to trim New York’s $53 billion Medicaid program, one cost that county officials have long struggled to contain is that of shuttling enrollees to and from medical appointments or reimbursing them for gas — a service the federal government requires all states to provide for most Medicaid recipients.
In Orange County, where about 64,000 poor and disabled people are enrolled in the federal health insurance program, the transportation bill rose to $9.2 million last year. Neighboring Ulster County, which has 27,000 enrollees, reported $2.8 million in travel costs, and Sullivan County said its transportation bill for 16,000 Medicaid clients was $512,728.
At the Times Herald-Record’s request, Orange County has furnished a list of all 19,400 Medicaid rides its enrollees received last September and an analysis of those trips by Medical Transportation Management, the contractor that coordinates non-emergency trips for the county.
Full article at Times Herald-Record
Lucky for them I pay thousands in real estate and school taxes so they can enjoy such a pampered life while I work. And the thanks we get – red neck anti-semitism, dirty looks in walmart, and petty crimes galore
There doesn’t seem to be reference in the full article to the general condition of these people. Maybe it is justified in most cases.
Not only do you pay formedicaid; buy, you also pay for my transportation to and from the veterans hospital. Thank you much. If we chose so we get mileage.PBGdns to Miami 80 miles $40.. I have the best coverage available including pharmacy. Thank you all again. HaShem bless the USA.. USS Charles F Adams DDG2. JUST DO IT……..
just like the bs of access a ride here in the city.
half the people using it dont need it but what can be better than door to door service for not a penny more than a subway ride.
The ripoff here in the City is the ambulette services that are multiplying at an increasing rate. People who could go to their Drs appointments by Access a Ride, take the ambulettes at a cost of several hundred dollars a ride. I see many of those transported walk from the ambulettes with no assistance, no cane, and no walker.
#6 : it is very obvious that you have no idea about the transportation industry. Ambulettes get paid by medicaid for transporting patience usually about $30-$45 one way,depending on the distance:
as a matter of fact the city would save a minimum of a half billion $ per year by doing away with access a ride, and subcontracting the work to ambulettes.
Ambulette companies only make $ if they have heavy call volume. Do you have any idea what the overhead to run an ambulette co is? Did it ever accur to you at times ambullettte co. Can wait 3-4 months to get paid by medicaid.
Bottom line think before you talk!.
#5 . Access a ride is a much needed service however #1 -people learned how to beat the system (to get approved when they don’t really need the service.
#2- the city spend way too much $ on this program
#3- whoever doesn’t really need access a ride and uses anyway can’t be to bright or has lots of time on their hands, as you can wait for up too 2 hours for a pick up, yes at times this applies to ambulettes as well, althought not as bad.