Medicare Part B covers ambulance transportation to and from certain locations. These must be within your service area The service area is the geographic area where a Medicare Advantage Plan or Part D plan provides medical services to its members. In many plans, the service area is where your network of providers is located. and able to provide you with the care you need.
The service area is a geographical region that contains most of the patients served by a health care facility. For example, if you live in a town with a small community hospital, and there is a larger urban hospital 20 miles away, the larger hospital would be part of your service area if it regularly serves people who live in your town.
Part B covers ambulance services to and from the following locations within your service area:
From |
To |
Your home, or any other place where need arises |
The nearest appropriate hospital or skilled nursing facility (SNF) |
A hospital or SNF |
Your home, if the hospital or SNF is the nearest appropriate facility |
A SNF |
The nearest medical provider, if the SNF cannot provide you with necessary treatment and the cost of transport is less then bringing the treatment to and from you |
Your home |
The nearest appropriate renal dialysis facility and back |
If your service area does not have a facility that is adequately equipped or capable of treating you, Medicare covers ambulance transportation to the nearest appropriate facility outside your service area. Note, though, that Medicare will not pay for ambulance transport to a hospital outside your service area so you can receive care from a particular doctor, if there is another hospital available to treat you nearby.