Links to various Aetna Better Health and non-Aetna Better Health sites are provided for your convenience. Aetna Better Health is not responsible or liable for non-Aetna Better Health content accuracy or privacy practices of linked sites or for products or services described on these sites.
The real reason so many Medicaid members skip their doctor appointments
By Aetna
Maria1 lives with her husband and 6-year-old son. In many ways she’s a typical Medicaid member:
- She is raising a child, like 28% of Medicaid enrollees.2
- She has a job, as do 63% of people on Medicaid.3
- She doesn’t own a car, like 1 in 5 Americans living in poverty.4
- And like many Medicaid members, she sometimes misses her health care appointments.
Maria recognizes the value of seeing a doctor. In fact, now that she’s pregnant with her second child, she knows medical appointments are more important than ever. But with limited transportation options, she’s often forced to choose between her job, her family and her health.
Maria receives her prenatal care downtown, about 6 miles from her home. If she took a ride-share service, the roundtrip fare would cost 10% of her weekly take-home pay. Although the bus is slow and circuitous, it’s the only affordable choice.
Taking the bus saves Maria money in the short term, but the time commitment means she can’t work a shift at her part-time job on the same day as a prenatal appointment. Missing work takes a bite out of her paycheck, and she needs every paid hour she can get.
Maria also picks up her son every weekday from his after-school program. The school is strict about pick-up times, and she worries that the bus could make her late, jeopardizing his place in the program.
Even though prenatal care is free under Medicaid, Maria wonders if she can really afford the other, less obvious, costs associated with going to the doctor.
To address the transportation barriers faced by people like Maria, Aetna Better Health provides its members with door-to-door, non-emergency transportation to and from their doctor. At first glance it might seem like a simple benefit to make patients’ lives easier. But Aetna knows it’s a powerful tool that allows people on Medicaid to get the right care at the right time and stay healthy.
Transportation is a health care issue
Transportation barriers can lead Medicaid members to miss appointments and delay care.
That’s why Aetna is committed to providing rides to from non-emergency medical visits.
Below, learn how such programs help people like Maria* prioritize their health.
Maria just found out she’s pregnant with her second child. She should visit her obstetrician 15 times over the next 9 months to ensure she and her baby are healthy. The visits are fully covered – but they can cost her in other ways.
Like many Medicaid members, Maria doesn’t own a car and can’t afford a car service or taxi. Public transport in her area is limited and time-consuming: A 6-mile bus ride to her doctor can take 90 minutes or more.
That’s time Maria doesn’t have. As an hourly retail worker, she has little control over her schedule. And if she misses work, she won’t get paid.
A medical appointment can eat up 5+ hours of her day. If she’s scheduled to work the same day, she’s forced to choose between her paychecks and her health.
Maria also picks up her young son every weekday from his after-school program. If her doctor visit was in the afternoon, her son would be stranded. She’s forced to choose between her family and her health.
Aetna’s ride service won’t solve all of Maria’s problems, but it will save her two and half hours each day she visits her doctor. That means more time for work, her health, and her family.
Aetna Better Health of California’s Non-Emergency Medical Transportation program provided nearly 1,100 rides in its first 21 months of operation. By saving patients like Maria time and trouble, transportation access means Medi-Cal members are more likely to see their doctor and get the care they need.
*Maria is a composite character based on real Medicaid members. Aetna is the brand name used for products and services provided by Aetna Better Health of California and/or its affiliates.
Transportation is a health care issue
Transportation barriers can lead Medicaid members to miss appointments and delay care.
That’s why Aetna is committed to providing rides to from non-emergency medical visits.
Below, learn how such programs help people like Maria* prioritize their health.
Maria just found out she’s pregnant with her second child. She should visit her obstetrician 15 times over the next 9 months to ensure she and her baby are healthy. The visits are fully covered – but they can cost her in other ways.
Like many Medicaid members, Maria doesn’t own a car and can’t afford a car service or taxi. Public transport in her area is limited and time-consuming: A 6-mile bus ride to her doctor can take 90 minutes or more.
That’s time Maria doesn’t have. As an hourly retail worker, she has little control over her schedule. And if she misses work, she won’t get paid.
A medical appointment can eat up 5+ hours of her day. If she’s scheduled to work the same day, she’s forced to choose between her paychecks and her health.
Maria also picks up her young son every weekday from his after-school program. If her doctor visit was in the afternoon, her son would be stranded. She’s forced to choose between her family and her health.
Aetna’s ride service won’t solve all of Maria’s problems, but it will save her two and half hours each day she visits her doctor. That means more time for work, her health, and her family.
Aetna Better Health of California’s Non-Emergency Medical Transportation program provided nearly 1,100 rides in its first 21 months of operation. By saving patients like Maria time and trouble, transportation access means Medi-Cal members are more likely to see their doctor and get the care they need.
*Maria is a composite character based on real Medicaid members. Aetna is the brand name used for products and services provided by Aetna Better Health of California and/or its affiliates.
1 Maria is a composite character.
2 https://www.macpac.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/December-2018-MACStats-Data-Book.pdf
3 Ibid.
4 https://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-car-ownership-poverty.html
Aetna is the brand name used for products and services provided by Aetna Better Health and/or its affiliates.