For rural communities, the path to care is rarely straightforward. Distance, scarce resources, and disconnected systems create barriers that coverage alone can't solve — and non-emergency medical transportation sits at the center of that challenge. Watch this panel discussion in partnership with Becker's Payer Issues to hear how forward-thinking payer organizations are making NEMT a deliberate part of their care delivery strategy.
Featuring:
Joseph Leach, Market President, Oscar Health
Cristal Gary, Plan President & CEO, Meridian Health Plan of Illinois
Jordan Turetsky, MPH, Chief Engagement Officer, CenCal Health
Sufian Chowdhury, Co-Founder and CEO, Kinetik
Rural access gaps have never been simply a matter of insurance. When transportation is treated as a peripheral concern rather than a clinical one, the downstream effects show up in outcomes, costs, and member trust. A shift is underway among payers who are building transportation into the core of how care gets coordinated — through smarter benefit design, strategic partnerships, and connected digital infrastructure.
In this session, panelists cover:
What's driving persistent access gaps in rural markets today
How health plans are operationalizing transportation as a care delivery tool
Why data quality and interoperability gaps carry real financial and clinical risk
Where digital infrastructure creates new opportunities for better coordination