Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

Childhood Cancer Lantern
Search Saved

Washington program

Help getting to treatment

Apple Health arranges rides to covered appointments through a county broker, and can authorize lodging, meals and a traveling adult for distant treatment.

What it is

Apple Health arranges rides to covered appointments through a county broker, and can authorize lodging, meals and a traveling adult for distant treatment.

Rides to covered appointments come with Apple Health. Your county’s broker (Hopelink in King County) arranges rides, bus fare or travel-expense help, and for covered care outside your local area can authorize meals, lodging and an adult traveling with your child, each approved individually.

Eligibility rules
  • The child needs eligible Apple Health coverage and an appointment that meets the transportation rules.
  • A trip to any provider of your choice is not automatically covered; location and medical necessity can matter.
  • Non-emergency care in another state needs the agency’s prior approval unless it is a designated border area.
What you get
  • A ride, public transit or travel-expense help to covered appointments, as the broker decides.
  • For overnight travel: lodging, meals and an accompanying adult, when authorized in advance.
How it works
  • The broker checks each trip and arranges the appropriate option. Reimbursement is not automatic; get approval before booking or paying.
If you decide to apply
  1. After approval, call your county’s broker (Hopelink in King County) at least two business days before a routine appointment; urgent trips are handled individually.
  2. Give the appointment date, location, your child’s coverage number and any mobility needs.
  3. For overnight travel, ask exactly which costs are authorized and who pays before booking anything.

Your county’s Apple Health transportation broker (Hopelink for King County, 800-923-7433) · Official page ↗

Tips
  • Book the whole block of appointments at once; some brokers want two full business days’ notice.
  • Keep appointment details and receipts.
Good to know

Travel approval is separate from approval of the care. Planned treatment outside Washington needs its own HCA approval even when work insurance pays first.

Regional brokers
  • Hopelink, Paratransit Services, Special Mobility Services, Northwest Regional Council and Community in Motion, by county.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Once our child has Apple Health, who is our county’s transportation broker, and can it help with trips and any overnight costs?”

Why I’m asking: Travel for treatment is adding to our expenses.

More background and detailed requirements

How this could help

A regional transportation broker checks the trip and arranges an appropriate option. Depending on the circumstances, that may be a ride, public transportation or help with travel expenses. The broker decides what it can authorize.

For distant treatment, ask about the whole trip: transport, overnight accommodation, meals and an adult traveling with your child. Get approval before booking or paying because reimbursement is not automatic.

What to know before you apply

  • The child must have eligible Apple Health coverage and the trip must meet its transportation rules.
  • A trip to any provider of your choice is not automatically covered; provider location and medical necessity can matter.
  • Keep appointment details and receipts. A broker may require advance notice except for urgent needs.

Your next steps

  1. Ask the hospital or Apple Health for the transportation broker serving your home county.
  2. Call with the appointment date, location, child’s coverage number and any travel or mobility needs.
  3. For overnight travel, ask exactly which costs are authorized and who pays the provider.

no separate test: the child has Apple Health

Washington; the broker is set by the county you live in

non-emergency care in another state needs the agency's prior approval unless it is a designated border area

Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Call the broker for your county and book ahead.

Your social worker

The hospital social worker knows which broker covers your county and can make the first call with you.

The care team

The clinic confirms the appointments.

Who decides
The regional broker, appointment by appointment.
Ask your social worker
“Could Apple Health help with our treatment trips, including overnight costs when needed?”

How to apply

First step: Ask the hospital or Apple Health for the transportation broker serving your home county.

  1. Call your county's broker and set up the rides for the whole treatment block at once.
  2. Ask about meals and lodging in the same call if the hospital is far from home.
  3. Book at least two business days ahead where the broker asks for it.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: King County: Hopelink 800-923-7433. Snohomish: Hopelink 855-766-7433. Pierce: Paratransit Services 800-925-5438. Thurston, Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Grays Harbor: 800-846-5438. Kitsap: 360-377-7007 or 800-756-5438. Clallam and Jefferson: 800-756-5438. Spokane and the north-east: Special Mobility Services 800-892-4817. Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom: Northwest Regional Council 360-738-4554. Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Skamania and Wahkiakum: Community in Motion 800-752-9422, option 1.

What to gather

  • Your child's Apple Health number
  • The appointment dates and the clinic address

How long: Same-week booking is usual; some brokers want two business days.

What a yes looks like

Booked rides, and a written approval for lodging where you asked for it.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If lodging is refused, ask for the reason in writing and ask the hospital social worker to support the request.

Watch out

  • The number you call depends on your county, not the hospital's.
  • Brokers want notice; one asks for two full business days.
  • Lodging is decided request by request, not granted automatically.

Dates that change this

2026-09-10: This broker list is partial: contract dates and some counties were not published. If your county is not named, call 1-855-923-4633 and ask who your broker is.

2026-09-10: The meal and lodging rates follow the state's travel rates for the treatment location; the dollar figures themselves were not published.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Free rides to Apple Health appointments, with meals and lodging the broker can approve for distant care and travel for one adult with your child.

  • $1 — Longest first authorisation for meals and lodging
  • $2 — Notice one broker asks for

Covers: Rides to appointments · Meals and lodging for care far from home, when the broker approves · Travel for one adult going with the child

What it costs the family: Nothing.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
no separate test: the child has Apple Health
Residency
Washington; the broker is set by the county you live in
Out of state
non-emergency care in another state needs the agency's prior approval unless it is a designated border area

Decisions this site cannot make: Broker authorisation for each trip and for lodging

Expect friction on: Finding the right broker for your county · Booking far enough ahead

The trap: Which broker you call depends on the county you live in, and they want notice: one broker asks for two full business days. The lodging and meals are not automatic; the broker decides each request and pays against the state's own travel rates for the place your child is treated.

Where I read this

← Back to your options