Understanding Ohio Medicaid Transportation: Which Plan Does ReliaWheels Accept?
August 24, 2026
ReliaWheels accepts Traditional Ohio Medicaid. That is fee-for-service Medicaid, the plan administered directly by the state rather than through a managed care company. If you are on Traditional Ohio Medicaid and traveling to a covered medical appointment, we handle the authorization and the billing, and the ride costs you nothing.
We do not bill Medicaid managed care plans or MyCare Ohio. If you are enrolled in one of those, your plan arranges transportation through its own contracted providers, and you would need to call the transportation number on your member card.
Here is what you need to know:
- Which plan do we accept? Traditional Ohio Medicaid, also called fee-for-service Medicaid.
- Who qualifies? Traditional Ohio Medicaid members traveling to covered medical appointments: doctor visits, dialysis, therapy, specialist care, hospital discharge.
- How do I check? Call us at 440-468-6976 with your Medicaid ID. We will confirm which plan you are on before your first trip.
- What if I am on a managed care plan? We can still drive you on a private-pay basis, at our published rates. Call and we will quote the trip.
- What is offered? Door-to-door assistance, wheelchair-ramp-equipped vans, Broda® Traversa™ chair transport, and long-distance trips.
Schedule your ride at least 24 hours in advance so we can confirm availability.
Traditional Medicaid and managed care are not the same thing
Ohio Medicaid members fall into two broad groups, and the difference matters when you are arranging a ride.
Traditional Ohio Medicaid (fee-for-service)
If you are not enrolled in a managed care plan, your Medicaid is administered directly by the state. Transportation is arranged either through your local County Department of Job and Family Services Medicaid Transportation Coordinator, or through an enrolled provider like ReliaWheels who bills the state directly.
This is the plan we accept. We verify your eligibility, get the trip authorized, and submit the claim ourselves. You do not handle paperwork and you do not pay out of pocket.
Medicaid managed care and MyCare Ohio
Most Ohio Medicaid members are enrolled in a managed care plan: CareSource, Buckeye Health Plan, Molina Healthcare, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Anthem, or Humana Healthy Horizons. MyCare Ohio is a separate program for people eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare.
Each of these plans contracts its own transportation broker, and rides have to be booked through that broker to be covered. ReliaWheels is not part of those networks. If you are on one of these plans and you want to ride with us, that would be a private-pay trip.
How to tell which one you are on
Find your Medicaid card. If it carries a managed care company’s name and logo, you are in managed care. If it is a plain State of Ohio Medicaid card with no plan name, you are on Traditional Medicaid.
Still not sure? Call us at 440-468-6976 and read us your Medicaid ID. We check before every first trip, so nobody finds out at the curb.
What Ohio’s NEMT benefit covers
Ohio’s Non-Emergency Medical Transportation benefit exists so that getting to care is never the reason someone misses it. It covers rides to a wide range of appointments: dialysis, radiation therapy, imaging, therapy sessions, specialist visits and pharmacy stops.
The program prioritizes the most cost-effective option that meets your needs, which might mean a bus pass or mileage reimbursement for someone who can travel independently, and a specialized vehicle for someone who cannot. If you need a companion or caregiver with you, one person can travel at no extra charge.
For members with mobility needs, that means a wheelchair-accessible vehicle with a trained driver who handles boarding and securement. Every vehicle is inspected and licensed to operate in Ohio.
How ReliaWheels serves Traditional Medicaid members
We run wheelchair-ramp-equipped vans, comfortable sedans, and the Broda® Traversa™ transport chair for passengers who cannot sit upright unsupported. Every driver is background-checked and trained in passenger assistance, safety and sensitivity, CPR, basic first aid and defensive driving.
We serve Cuyahoga County, Lorain County and Lake County, and we drive long distance from the Cleveland and Lorain area when specialty care takes you further.
- Call 440-468-6976 with your Medicaid ID and appointment details
- We confirm your plan and eligibility, usually on the same call
- We authorize the trip and submit the claim
- You get a door-to-door ride, and a return trip typically within 30 minutes of calling when you are finished
If Traditional Medicaid does not cover your trip
Not every journey qualifies. Trips that are not to a covered medical appointment, or trips for members on a managed care plan, fall outside the benefit. We still drive them, at transparent private-pay rates: $35 to $75 for sedan transportation locally, and $50 to $100 for wheelchair transportation depending on location. Long-distance and Broda® chair transports are quoted individually.
“Transportation can be a stressful part of someone’s day. Our goal is to take some of that stress away by providing a driver you can trust, a vehicle you can feel comfortable in, and service you can count on.”
— ReliaWheels management
Schedule a ride or call 440-468-6976 and we will tell you plainly which category your trip falls into before you commit to anything.
Questions about a ride? Call (440) 468-6976 or request a ride online.