Part B covers ground ambulance transportation when your medical condition makes travel by car, taxi, wheelchair van, or another vehicle unsafe.

Emergency Ambulance Coverage

Medicare may cover transport to the nearest appropriate:

  • Hospital
  • Critical access hospital
  • Rural emergency hospital
  • Skilled nursing facility

Air transportation by airplane or helicopter may be covered when ground transportation cannot provide the needed rapid or appropriate care.

After the Part B deductible, you generally pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.

Non-Emergency Transportation

Medicare may cover limited non-emergency ambulance transportation when it is medically necessary. A written order may be required, particularly for scheduled, repetitive trips. Convenience, lack of a car, or inability to drive does not by itself make ambulance transportation medically necessary.

For a non-emergency service Medicare normally covers, the ambulance company must give you an Advance Beneficiary Notice before the trip if it expects Medicare to deny payment because the trip is not medically necessary. This written notice explains why coverage may be denied and what you may have to pay.

For repeated scheduled non-emergency trips, ask whether the ambulance company needs advance approval, called prior authorization, and whether it has received it. A medical order alone does not guarantee coverage. If you request a farther facility when a nearer one can provide appropriate care, Medicare may pay only the amount for transport to the nearer appropriate facility. You may owe the difference. For a planned trip, request an estimate first. Medicare explains transport and destination requirements.

Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage must cover Medicare-required ambulance services but can have its own copayments and procedures. Some plans also offer limited non-ambulance transportation benefits for medical visits.

See Medicare's official ambulance coverage booklet.

For an emergency, call 911; do not delay urgent care to investigate a bill. For scheduled transport, ask the ordering clinician and ambulance company to confirm medical necessity, destination and any required approval.

Medicare policy sources last checked: October 8, 2026.