State of Alaska Department of Health
Alaska Medicaid Transportation · About this organization
What you get
Approved air or ferry travel, taxi, bus or wheelchair-van rides, hotels and meals for medical care, including distant treatment and one adult escort for your child.
How to start
Your social worker sends the referral. Have photo identification ready.
Good to know
- Unapproved travel, extra nonmedical days, personal taxi use, and hotel extras are not covered.
The details, as published
B-ALL is in scope Call To Confirm Care team starts the request
Prior-authorized nonemergency transportation and related travel support for eligible Medicaid-covered care.
What help you may get
Lodging Near Treatment
Alaska Medicaid Transportation — lodging near treatment
Prior-authorized nonemergency transportation and related travel support for eligible Medicaid-covered care.
Amount not published · As Needed
Can cover
- Appropriate authorized taxi rides between the airport, lodging, and medical appointments
- Approved airline or ferry travel outside the home community
- Authorized lodging at an Alaska Medicaid-enrolled hotel or motel
- Authorized meals for the patient and escort
- Authorized travel to an out-of-state treatment center when covered care is unavailable in Alaska
- Local taxi, bus, or wheelchair-van travel to and from medical appointments
- Prior-authorized nonemergency transportation and related travel support for eligible Medicaid-covered care.
- Travel costs for one adult escort accompanying a child to necessary medical care
Does not cover
- Emergency transportation under this nonemergency benefit
- Personal taxi trips such as shopping or visiting family or friends
- Rebooking a missed flight in many avoidable circumstances
- Room service, tips, phone calls, pay-per-view movies, hotel security deposits, or other hotel extras
- Travel to bypass the nearest appropriate available facility without authorization
- Travel, hotel, or other costs not authorized in advance
- Weekend travel or extra days unrelated to medical care
- No overall trip or annual dollar cap is published in the reviewed official material.
- The handbook says Medicaid can pay up to $36 for three consecutive meals when the enrolled hotel has a restaurant.
- Each trip requires medical-necessity review and advance authorization; no annual trip count is published.
Meals And Food
Alaska Medicaid Transportation — meals and food
Prior-authorized nonemergency transportation and related travel support for eligible Medicaid-covered care.
Amount not published · As Needed
Can cover
- Appropriate authorized taxi rides between the airport, lodging, and medical appointments
- Approved airline or ferry travel outside the home community
- Authorized lodging at an Alaska Medicaid-enrolled hotel or motel
- Authorized meals for the patient and escort
- Authorized travel to an out-of-state treatment center when covered care is unavailable in Alaska
- Local taxi, bus, or wheelchair-van travel to and from medical appointments
- Prior-authorized nonemergency transportation and related travel support for eligible Medicaid-covered care.
- Travel costs for one adult escort accompanying a child to necessary medical care
Does not cover
- Emergency transportation under this nonemergency benefit
- Personal taxi trips such as shopping or visiting family or friends
- Rebooking a missed flight in many avoidable circumstances
- Room service, tips, phone calls, pay-per-view movies, hotel security deposits, or other hotel extras
- Travel to bypass the nearest appropriate available facility without authorization
- Travel, hotel, or other costs not authorized in advance
- Weekend travel or extra days unrelated to medical care
- No overall trip or annual dollar cap is published in the reviewed official material.
- The handbook says Medicaid can pay up to $36 for three consecutive meals when the enrolled hotel has a restaurant.
- Each trip requires medical-necessity review and advance authorization; no annual trip count is published.
Travel And Transportation
Alaska Medicaid Transportation — travel and transportation
Prior-authorized nonemergency transportation and related travel support for eligible Medicaid-covered care.
Amount not published · As Needed
Can cover
- Appropriate authorized taxi rides between the airport, lodging, and medical appointments
- Approved airline or ferry travel outside the home community
- Authorized lodging at an Alaska Medicaid-enrolled hotel or motel
- Authorized meals for the patient and escort
- Authorized travel to an out-of-state treatment center when covered care is unavailable in Alaska
- Local taxi, bus, or wheelchair-van travel to and from medical appointments
- Prior-authorized nonemergency transportation and related travel support for eligible Medicaid-covered care.
- Travel costs for one adult escort accompanying a child to necessary medical care
Does not cover
- Emergency transportation under this nonemergency benefit
- Personal taxi trips such as shopping or visiting family or friends
- Rebooking a missed flight in many avoidable circumstances
- Room service, tips, phone calls, pay-per-view movies, hotel security deposits, or other hotel extras
- Travel to bypass the nearest appropriate available facility without authorization
- Travel, hotel, or other costs not authorized in advance
- Weekend travel or extra days unrelated to medical care
- No overall trip or annual dollar cap is published in the reviewed official material.
- The handbook says Medicaid can pay up to $36 for three consecutive meals when the enrolled hotel has a restaurant.
- Each trip requires medical-necessity review and advance authorization; no annual trip count is published.
Check the main eligibility rules
Diagnosis
B-ALL is in scope. Diagnosis is not the controlling rule; the recipient must be enrolled in Medicaid and the transportation must be medically necessary.
Age
The program does not publish an age limit.
- The under-18 rule applies to escort coverage, not general recipient eligibility.
Treatment status
Active Treatment
- A provider must verify the patient or diagnosis.
- The destination provider and transportation, lodging, and taxi vendors must meet Medicaid enrollment or approval rules when applicable.
- The healthcare provider must refer the patient when covered care is unavailable locally.
- The healthcare provider must request travel authorization from the Medicaid fiscal agent or appropriate Alaska Native Tribal entity.
- The patient must be currently enrolled in Alaska Medicaid.
- Transportation eligibility requires current Alaska Medicaid enrollment. Medicaid eligibility rules vary by coverage category and are not restated on the transportation page.
- Medicaid is the payer of last resort and other available health coverage must be reported.
- No separate transportation-program income test is published for a patient who is already enrolled in Alaska Medicaid.
Where you live and where your child is treated
Where your family lives
You must live in: Alaska residents enrolled in Alaska Medicaid.
- The traveler must be an Alaska Medicaid recipient with prior-authorized covered care.
Where your child is treated
Treatment-location rules are not published clearly; confirm with the program.
- Out-of-community travel requires referral to a doctor or specialist for covered services unavailable in the home area; Medicaid uses the nearest available facility.
How to get started
Set up the ask for my care team
Does a social worker or care team need to start it? Yes. Ask your child’s social worker or care team to begin the request.
Who can start: Healthcare Team, Parent Or Guardian
- After authorization, call the appropriate Medicaid or tribal travel office to arrange the authorized carrier, hotel, and vouchers.
- Ask the healthcare provider to make the referral and request travel authorization from the Medicaid fiscal agent or appropriate Alaska Native Tribal entity.
- Confirm that the child is enrolled in Alaska Medicaid and has a scheduled medically necessary Medicaid-covered service.
- For nonemergency travel outside the home community, ask the provider to request authorization at least 10 days before travel.
- Travel only on the approved itinerary and bring all original vouchers, identification, Medicaid or Denali KidCare card, and appointment details.
- Use the official Alaska program page or Alaska Connect and confirm the current application/referral route.
Ways to apply or ask
- Hospital Workflow · Open form or page — The healthcare provider must request authorization from the Medicaid fiscal agent or appropriate Alaska Native Tribal entity.
- Online Portal · Open form or page
- Online Portal · Open form or page
- Phone · Open form or page · 800-514-7123 — After authorization, call the Alaska Medicaid Travel Office or the appropriate tribal travel office to arrange approved travel.
- Phone · Open form or page · 907-269-4575 · doh.hcs.wct.epsdt@alaska.gov — Anchorage Early Screening/EPSDT local transportation line; outside Anchorage call 888-276-0606.
Documents to prepare
- Advance travel authorization
- Original travel vouchers
- Patient's Medicaid card, Medicaid coupon, or Denali KidCare card
- Personal identification for the patient and escort
- Provider referral and medical-necessity information
- Scheduled appointment dates and times
- If plans change, the family must contact the travel office before departure to protect the remaining itinerary and coverage.
- The family uses authorized vouchers and Medicaid-enrolled hotel and taxi providers.
- The Medicaid or tribal travel office books the approved airline or ferry carrier.
Availability and timing
| Program | Active |
|---|---|
| Applications | Call To Confirm |
| Funding or space | Not Published |
| Application window | Not Applicable |
| Last checked | Aug 27, 2026 |
- Authorization is tied to a scheduled covered appointment or treatment episode.
- Local transportation should be requested by the provider at least one day before the appointment.
- The handbook says the provider should request authorization at least 10 days before nonemergency travel outside the home community; requests made with less notice may not be approved.
Limitations and things to confirm
- A child under 18 traveling out of state must travel with a legal parent or guardian.
- Eligibility, covered services, prior authorization, documentation, provider availability, and processing time are program-specific.
- Outside-community and out-of-state travel requires a covered service that is unavailable closer to home and advance provider authorization.
- The family cannot choose or change carriers without authorization and should not book an air carrier or ferry directly.
- The patient must already be enrolled in Alaska Medicaid.
- Unapproved travel, extra nonmedical days, personal taxi use, and hotel extras are not covered.
- Confirm current eligibility, enrollment, covered benefits, and local capacity.
Official sources
Program details were last verified Aug 24, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.
- Alaska Medicaid Recipient Handbook — Revised April 16, 2025 · checked Aug 23, 2026
- Medicaid Transportation — State of Alaska Department of Health · checked Aug 23, 2026
- Alaska 211 · checked Aug 24, 2026