Ambulette companies stop transporting Medicaid patients in Westchester County, appointments canceled
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Monday was a day of confusion and canceled medical appointments in Westchester County after almost a dozen ambulette companies stopped transporting Medicaid patients in a bitter dispute over reimbursement rates.
The phones were ringing off the hook at Premier Transportation in New Rochelle, but most of the ambulettes there remained in park.
"We're a lifeline for them. So it's unfortunate that we can't reach them," one driver said.
Premier is one of about 10 non-emergency medical transportation firms in Westchester that stopped accepting service requests for recipients of Medicaid, the state program that provides health coverage to low-income people.
"Gas is up, DOT expenses up, labor costs are up. Everything is up except for our reimbursement," said Jake Ninan, with Premier Transportation.
Providers say reimbursement is far below their actual cost of transporting patients, many who use wheelchairs, to medical appointments.
On Friday, they told the New York State Dept. of Health service for Medicaid clients was ending. The state said fine, out-of-county providers would take over.
One ambulette came all the way to Westchester from Manhattan, but Premier said hundreds of people who needed transport to medical appointments Monday couldn't get it.
"We have chemo patients, we have dialysis patients. Everyone is stranded here and calling me," said Teddy Sankar, with Premier Transportation.
One call came from Paul Wool, who had to take his dad to a dialysis center because Medicaid transport was unavailable.
"It disrupted my day, disrupted his day," said Wool. "I was in the middle of a job, and I had to run home. I lost $400 on a job because I had to leave."
"They gotta come to the table and talk to us," said Ninan.
How long will the dispute will drag on? How many appointments will be missed? The answers are unclear.
Late Monday, the state said seven ambulette firms have stopped accepting Medicaid transport in Westchester. Those firms said service was also impacted in the Bronx as ambulettes diverted calls to Westchester.
